Weight loss jabs are ‘opportunity’ for Leon, boss says

His boss believes the growing popularity of weight-loss shots presents an “opportunity” for fast food chain Leon.

John Vincent told the BBC that the meals the brand offers are “the kind of food that people on a weight-loss injection would want to eat.”

Vincent, who co-founded the chain, bought the company back from Asda last year. company last month appointed administrators and announced a major restructuring of 71 restaurants employing 1,000 people.

Speaking to the BBC’s Big Boss Interview podcast, he also revealed plans to revive the chain, which include opening more restaurants in service stations, airports and train stations after closing 20 restaurants on the High Street.

Asked whether the rise in weight-loss shots posed a problem for the chain, Vincent told the BBC he thought “there’s definitely an opportunity for Leon-type food”, which is often low in sugar and flavored with herbs and spices.

“We actually find that there are foods in Leon that we enjoy eating, we used to enjoy serving and now we enjoy it more and more, it’s actually the kind of food that people on weight loss injections want to eat.”

“I think it’s just as important as calories” to help people who receive injections get enough protein and maintain muscle mass, he added.

He admitted that the effects of popular appetite suppressants meant Leon “definitely” had to think about portion sizes.

Last week the Greggs boss said: ‘undoubtedly’ drugs have led people to seek ‘smaller portions’It affects the company’s sales.

Vincent also spoke about the impact of tax increases, which he said were “incredibly toxic” to the hospitality industry.

He said the upcoming rises business rates This, along with overall cost increases, meant the High Street was no longer as profitable. Leon loses £10 million a year.

If taxes on businesses go up even further, “the only people who will survive are the people selling not-so-quality food,” he said.

In April, the business rates discount for the hospitality industry that came during Covid will end. At the same time, increases in the relative value of the property occur.

Treasury stated that it would announce More help for bars It faced backlash from other hospitality businesses in the coming days as to why they were not included.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said at a press conference on Wednesday: “working with the hospitality industry”.

Vincent traditionally said: “The more fast food units you have, the better the operations, the better the supply chain, the better you buy, the better your systems.”

But he added: “I’m not sure that’s true anymore because of the pressure in the market.”

Vincent said he would close Leon’s restaurants outside London, but added that the high costs of operating in the capital had made business there “incredibly difficult” due to “incredibly high upward-only rents”.

Although airports in particular receive the bulk of retailers’ revenue, he said a 2% profit margin there “is on par with 6% on High Street.”

“You could be making two or three times more revenue at that airport than a location on High Street,” Vincent said.

Responding to Vincent’s comments, a Treasury spokesman said: “We are supporting hospitality businesses with a £4.3bn support package to limit bill increases.

The spokesman said this was in addition to “capping corporation tax at 25%, cutting red tape and taking cost of living action to revitalize high streets”.

Aside from rising costs, Vincent thinks Leon’s is in trouble because it’s straying from its mission of quality fast food for the masses.

Vincent said the menu starts out simple: meatballs, superfood salad and tapas; relatively healthy offerings in an era when fast food is dominated by burgers, fried chicken and kebabs.

But he said Leon had “lost his arrogance, leadership and confidence” after being sold in 2021, leading to “a lack of clarity about what he wanted the menu to be”.

He has previously said he sympathizes with the company’s previous owners due to the challenges restaurants have faced since the pandemic.

“I think Leon needs to act sensible again,” he said. “We don’t always make sense to people right now.”

This year, he plans to bring back simplicity with menu changes: “As a brand, we must understand and remember that we are always after the best meal for the most people.

“We were not for fancy fast food for fancy people. That was never our goal.”