The Detox Kitchen Receives £2million Investment to Fund Expansion
(c) Tim Charles
The Detox Kitchen has announced ambitious growth plans, following a £2million investment led by London based investment firm, Encore Capital and leading industry figures including Jyotin Sethi (JSK Restaurants), the entrepreneur behind some of London’s most successful restaurants.
The business, founded in 2012 by entrepreneur and Chef Lily Simpson, currently incorporates two central London delis, a meal delivery service and a ready to eat range stocked in Selfridges and Planet Organic, and a best-selling cookbook.
It was born through a gap in the market to make healthy food accessible, delicious and satisfying for busy Londoners on the go. The delivery service quickly drew a cult following amongst high profile celebrities including Elle Macpherson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Suki Waterhouse and Sophie Dahl, before Simpson went on to open her first deli in Soho’s Kingly Street in April 2014. In May 2015 she published her first cookbook, The Detox Kitchen Bible, co-written with consultant nutritionist Rob Hobson and most recently launched the flagship Detox Kitchen Deli, in Fitzrovia, which incorporates a boutique fitness studio.
Flower Kittle Architects were responsible for completing the overall look of The Detox Kitchen with Blackwell Projects taking on all aspects of contracting work and structural engineering work undertaken by Luzzani UK Ltd.
Paul Kittle, Partner at Flower Kittle Architects said: “We were given an ambitious brief to transform two previously unconnected floors within the Fitzroy development into a carefully crafted working Deli. The challenge was to balance the spatial organisation of the served and seated areas with the pragmatic and functional workings of food preparation and display. This began with a feasibility study of the space where we presented a number of options for Lily to consider.
“It was also about trying to reflect the principles of the Detox brand in design terms. The strength of the brand comes from the unique experience of eating at Detox and we took inspiration from the honest use of ingredients in their recipes. We introduced a calm palette of materials – birch plywood, marble countertops, concrete floors to play off against the splashes of colour of the upholstery, the food, the people that move in and around the space.”
The Detox Kitchen aims to make London’s high streets healthier by ensuring that it becomes easier than ever for busy, working, Londoners to have access to delicious and natural food that is free from wheat, dairy and refined sugar. The restaurant attracts a wide demographic, both male and female, showcasing that demand for delicious food has a broadening appeal.
Paul added: “It is busy all day long which is great to see. Its location has a good audience and captures local residents, the nearby offices and passing trade. They have started to introduce outdoor seating and at weekends the space has the flexibility to work with different layouts to suit the changing demands of relaxed dining rather than the weekday rush.”
Tim Charles
Following the investment, The Detox Kitchen hopes to expand by up to ten sites in the next three years, with a focus on London. Encore Capital will bring experience to the partnership, with complimentary investments in restaurants and premium health clubs.
Lily Simpson, Founder of The Detox Kitchen said: “I am beyond thrilled to be working with Encore to build and grow The Detox Kitchen. Since starting the company I have simply wanted to get more people eating and enjoying healthy food and with their support we continue to do just that. This is a really exciting time for the company and our customers.”
Ed Shah, Partner at Encore commented: “As regular customers we fell in love with The Detox Kitchen brand and what it stands for – delicious, clean and convenient food. Our ambition is to support the team, led by Lily, to expand the business and bring its wonderful food and drinks to a winder audience both in London and further a field.”
Paul concluded: “We were thrilled to be asked to tender for this project. My own personal experience has been working on bars, restaurants and public spaces. The Detox Kitchen is exactly the type of project we wanted as a relatively new practice. We would love to work for them again because it was an exciting brief for a unique product and brand.”
