Leading Asian restaurant operator, Mango Tree Worldwide, is planning to significantly increase its footprint in the UK and Europe following a new partnership with Alison Vickers, the renowned international F&B consultant.
Ms Vickers, who spent more than 17 years as a director of YO! Sushi, will now become the UK representative for Mango Tree. She will be tasked with identifying new opportunities for Mango Tree to expand its portfolio of Thai restaurants in the UK, Western Europe and Scandinavia, focusing on major transport hubs such as airports and railway stations.
This is an area of expertise for Ms Vickers, whose company, Auriac Associates, was founded with the goal of helping F&B groups expand into “non-traditional locations” including transport centres. It also marks a continuation of Mango Tree’s successful strategy in Asia, which has already seen the launch of outlets in locations such as Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Tokyo Station.
The partnership will aim to tap into the British and European appetites for authentic Thai cuisine; there are now estimated to be about 2,000 Thai restaurants in the UK alone, mainly in town or city centre locations. By focusing on busy transport hubs with high footfall, Mango Tree will enable travellers and commuters to enjoy authentic, healthy and appetising Thai dishes while on the move.
“Alison Vickers is a leading authority in the restaurant sector and her vision of introducing restaurant brands to non-traditional locations matches perfectly with our own strategy. We have already started launching new concepts that are well-suited to transport hubs, where diners are increasingly seeking a healthier alternative to fast food. With its light, fresh flavours, Thai cuisine meets this need perfectly,” said Trevor MacKenzie, Mango Tree’s Global Managing Director.
“European diners, especially those in the UK, have a strong appetite for Thai cuisine. Millions of Europeans now travel to Thailand every year, so they recognise the dishes and want to enjoy the same flavours when they return home. With Alison onboard, we look forward to bringing authentic Thai cuisine to convenient locations all across the UK and Europe in future,” he added.
A total of 1.01 million Brits visited Thailand in 2017, spending THB77 billion (approx. GBP1.8 billion). This makes the UK the fifth most valuable overseas market for Thailand’s tourism industry.
As part of its strategy to meet the needs of travellers in high footfall locations, Mango Tree has created new “grab and go” concepts such as Mango Tree Kitchen, which are perfectly suited to transport hubs. Alison Vickers is the ideal person to lead the expansion of these new brands; she previously helped build YO! Sushi to more than 100 outlets globally and introduced the brand into Sydney, Paris and Copenhagen airports.
“Mango Tree is already recognised and respected in the UK, due to the success of its high-end restaurant in London. I am very happy to partner Trevor and his team and look forward to being able to build this excellent brand even further across the region. Thai has become one of the most sought-after global cuisines in the UK, and I envisage significant opportunities to expand the Mango Tree footprint to key destinations – including major airports and railway stations,” said Ms Vickers.
Mango Tree Worldwide now operates approximately 70 restaurant outlets in 14 countries around the globe under a series of distinctive brands, all of which specialise in authentic Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine. The new partnership with Alison Vickers will help Mango Tree achieve its target of reaching 100 restaurant outlets worldwide by 2020.
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