Bagel Nash to step up expansion

The company, which opened five shops in 2008, yesterday revealed that it was producing more than one million bagels a

month.

It halted its expansion plans during the recession to focus on developing its existing businesses.

This strategy produced a 20 per cent increase in sales to 4.6m for the year ending in April. This year's sales are already two per cent ahead of last year.

Director Karen Mizrahi said: "While we don't anticipate returning to the rate of openings we had in 2008, we're now ready for another major drive forward from our current base of 11 outlets.

"We've virtually covered our home city Leeds and believe we can repeat this cluster pattern in other cities – we've already made a start in York and Manchester."

The family firm supplies all its shops with bagels baked in the Meanwood bakery in Leeds. It also exports the snack to 20 countries, including Iceland, Bulgaria and Hungary.

Uri Mizrahi, the company's managing director, added: "While consolidation included some substantial cost-cutting exercises, we never compromised on the quality of our ingredients, which remains the core of our success.

"We've also diversified in providing product platters, chiefly for the corporate market, where the healthy nature of the bagels appears to be appreciated by busy executives.

"March will see our seventh consecutive appearance at London's International Food Exhibition as a serious stage for our further planned expansion."