Aussie business Pinot & Picasso will launch its franchise in the UK in 2023 with a three-year goal of 100 outlets.
Founder James Crowe told Franchise Executives after four years of brand establishment the leisure business was ready to expand.
Entertainment and boozy leisure activity is on the rise in London. In the same entertainment space there is Holey Moley and La Di Darts but in the paint and sip realm, nothing else. It is a really exciting opportunity.
We’ve got three franchisees ready, and more in the pipeline.
Pinot & Picasso UK a gateway to Europe
Crowe said he has big plans for the brand and will use the UK as a gateway to Europe.
I’d like to see up to 100 locations in the first two to three years in the UK, he said. Then start to branch into Europe, Germany, France, Netherlands and Belgium. The grand plan is to deliver our trademark entertainment experience to as many people as we can.
Crowe said there are now more than 80 Australian and New Zealand venues and he is looking to recreate this success overseas.
Projects like this take longer than expected, and we wanted to be in a position to maximise the opportunity at the right time. We are in a position now to take this on.
The first UK sites will open in Bristol and Dublin in February as franchises. Pinot & Picasso will then open a company-owned venue in London’s hip Bermondsey district in March. The next expansion will be into two sites just out of London, and a sixth venue located in the heart of the capital city by end of financial year.
The six sites will be up and running by Q3 2023, Crowe said.
Confident in the business
Crowe has relocated to the UK and is managing the overseas expansion, with Sydney staff brought in for onboarding franchisees. In time Crowe intends to build a UK team.
We want to show that Australian businesses are still willing to push and expand into a market that’s quite receptive. A lot of people are in neutral, just coasting. That’s not how we are. We are confident in the direction of the business.
Crowe plans to open another 30 Pinot & Picasso venues in the Australian and New Zealand market this year. Auckland and suburban Melbourne are particular targets for growth.
Source: Franchise Executives
