Overview
Established in 2007, James Horler Ltd is a boutique consultancy specialising in working with small foodservice companies to help them grow.
Our team of experienced hospitality industry experts can provide support in the following areas: Fundraising, Operations, Purchasing, Finance, Commercial and Property.
We work with companies to help them build strong foundations which results in value creation. Value for the company through growth in earnings, value for the equity holders including internal employees and external shareholders.
All of our work is bespoke, which means that we review the business goals with our clients and then ‘tailor make’ our services to their requirements. We love to get involved and understand the culture of our client companies. We are interested in both short term roles and longer term commitment.
Biography
James Horler, who was born in 1965, started his career at 16 as a kitchen porter and waiter for Trusthouse Forte. He progressed to conference and banqueting manager and food and beverage manager before transferring to the group’s roadside business. Here, he quickly rose from unit manager to become Little Chef’s youngest regional director at the age of 24.
Horler moved to Granada to oversee nine motorway service areas with an annual turnover of £210m and 2,900 staff. From 1996, Horler was Managing Director at City Centre Restaurants (now The Restaurant Group) where he expanded its Frankie & Benny’s brand from three to 65 outlets over five years.
In September 2001 Horler bought La Tasca for £28.2m with backing from private equity firm Penta Capital. Early 2005 saw the group float for £54m on the Alternative Investment Market, with Penta retaining a 23% stake.
Horler left the tapas chain in June 2007 after completion of its purchase by Robert Tchenguiz’s investment vehicle R20 for £134m.
James was an Acorn Award winner in 1994 and a Catey Award winner for Group Restaurateur in 2004.
In March 2008, James acquired Ego Restaurants Limited along with LDC (Lloyds Development Capital) and is Executive Chairman. Ego currently has 9 restaurants in the Midlands and North West and is soon to open in Sheffield, Lytham and Nottingham. Ego has recently undergone a full re-branding and specialises in serving modern fresh Mediterranean food in the affluent towns and suburbs in the Midlands and the North regions of the UK.
James is also Chairman of Cartwheel Recruitment Ltd, a management recruitment company based in Nottingham.
James has also recently invested in a mobile phone translation company called Calluma, which was launched in March 2008.
Contact Me
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