Type Subsidiary Website www.giraffe.net | Headquarters United Kingdom Founded 1998 | |
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Genre Restaurant and Cafe chain Founder Juliette Joffe, Russel Joffe, Andrew Jacobs Parent organizations Boparan Holdings, Boparan Restaurants Holdings Limited Profiles | ||
What giraffe restaurants are all about
Giraffe Restaurants is a United Kingdom restaurant and cafe chain, founded in Hampstead in 1998 by Juliette Joffe, Russel Joffe and Andrew Jacobs.
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Giraffe was owned by its founders, with additional financial backing from private shareholders, 3i investment group and chairman Luke Johnson. 3i invested £10 million in the company in 2006, in a deal that valued the chain at £24 million.
On 13 March 2013, it was announced that the chain was to be acquired by Tesco for £48.6m. As part of the acquisition, 3i and Risk Capital Partners sold their shares in the company.
In June 2016, Tesco reached an agreement to sell the company to Boparan Holdings.
Branches
The company has 48 outlets across the UK, including fifteen in London. The company's first outlet in Scotland is in Aberdeen's shopping development, Union Square. A second opened at Siverburn shopping centre in Glasgow on 30 June 2014. In Autumn 2014, branches opened at Tesco stores in Bournemouth, Inverness and Poole.
It was announced in January 2016 that four restaurants will be closing or moving over to the Tesco Family Dining cafe brand. The four that closed were Silverburn, Newcastle, Poole and Swindon.
It was further announced in March 2016 another seven restaurants would close, including those in York, Martlesham, Bournemouth and Sutton. After selling Giraffe, Tesco announced the closure of all branches located within their stores.
In September 2016, the company introduced a new brand, Giraffe World Kitchen, beginning with its Basingstoke branch.