Type Private Headquarters London, UK | Founded 1996 Revenue (2012) £100m | |
 | ||
Founder Niall & Faith MacArthur Owner Niall & Faith MacArthur 45%
Penta Capital 45%
Management 10% | ||
Eat (styled as EAT.) is a chain of sandwich shops with over 110 branches in the UK, the majority in London.
The first shop was opened in October 1996 in Villiers Street, London, next to Charing Cross railway station. Owned and run by couple Niall and Faith MacArthur, the company is similar to Pret a Manger insofar as all the produce is freshly made. Eat says it donates unsold food items to charities and hostels.
The style of Eat outlets was designed by David Collins who also designed the look of Café Rouge.
The business, previously owned by Penta Capital, was bought by Lyceum Capital (a private equity company) in March 2011.
Annual sales were £68 million in 2008 and approximately £100 million in 2012. The 2012 profit was £2.7 million.
In November 2012 the company opened a £1 million flagship outlet in The Strand, London.