Wildwood owner Bow Street considers potential acquisitions
Wildwood owner Bow Street is eyeing up potential acquisitions as its restructuring begins to bear fruit, after improved trading over the Christmas period.
In a trading update the firm, which also owns Dim T, reported an improved performance over the Christmas period, with revenue up 1.3% on a like-for-like basis for the four weeks to December 28. David Page, former PizzaExpress boss and Franco Manca owner, who was recently appointed executive chairman, said the group was in “active discussions” with “several potential acquisition targets”.
The company, formerly known as Tasty, announced plans to restructure its business in July, and entered talks with Mr Page over a deal to secure new investment and appoint him at the helm. The deal resulted in Bow Street raising £10.1 million from institutional investors and appointing Mr Page as executive chairman.
Mr Page said: “2025 was an important year for the group as we completed a fundraise that will enable Bow Street to execute a revised strategy to create shareholder value based on improving the performance of the estate and delivering acquisitions of exciting and scalable restaurant brands.”
The dining group said it was conducting a review of its estate, with each restaurant judged upon its “merit and performance”. As part of this review, the company said it would close its restaurant in Gerrards Cross, a move it said would deliver a significant cash benefit. In June 2024 the firm closed 18 of its restaurants, leading to a 21.9% drop in its revenue last year.
Mr Page said: “During recent months we have conducted a thorough review of the group’s operations and have identified a number of areas for improvement.
“We have already started to implement some of these improvements and were pleased to see an uplift in trading in the run up to Christmas.”
The London-listed group has been heavily affected by post-pandemic disruption over the last few years.
Mr Page said 2026 would be “a year of rebuilding, refreshment and transformation” for Bow Street, with refurbishments of six restaurants under way and new menus being trialled.
Figures released earlier this week suggested that retailers suffered a “drab” Christmas as shoppers shunned gifting to hold out for the Boxing Day and January sales. Total UK retail sales were up 1.2% year-on-year in December – well below last December’s growth of 3.2% and the 12-month average of 2.3%, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG.