New restaurant for Gloucester: The city's renaissance hits its stride
Loungers, which markets itself as a cosy, community-focused restaurant chain, is actually owned by a £multi-million wealth fund - and it's about to open a new restaurant in the centre of Gloucester.
Dear reader,
On Friday I was flagging the impressive joint financial results of the two anchor tenants at The Forum in Gloucester, billed as a £107 million office, retail and leisure development.
Together those two firms now employ 250 staff, are a force to be reckoned with in the world of website-hosting, part of a business with a turnover in excess of €6.3 billion and make £140 million between them.
Today’s we’re focusing on a deal with much more modest numbers to do with a building just yards away, the former Chambers pub in King’s Square. Rather than just run the press release we thought we’d do some journalism and ask what people think.
It’s significant because this one is about a heavyweight restaurant chain moving into the property and this small step feels like a significant missing piece of the pie and underlines just how strong Gloucester’s momentum is.
We love the news in our charity of the week slot too, courtesy of Gloucestershire Gateway Partnership and Summerfield Charitable Trust.
And do check out the diary dates below too, which has mention of an exciting week coming up in October around cyber.
If you have any news, story ideas, subjects you want written about or looked into, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Email me via the link below.
Best regards,
Andrew Merrell (editor).
*The Raikes Journal is the only independent news outlet in Gloucestershire approved to use the copy of the BBC local government reporting service.
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Charity of the week: £2m grant will change the lives of Gloucestershire children and families
A new initiative to create better access to services for Gloucestershire children and family hidden by social or geographical isolation will begin this autumn, through a project funded by Summerfield Charitable Trust.
The new Family Hubs Catalyst Programme, overseen by the Gloucestershire Gateway Partnership, will create a network of community-based support for families with young children to improve social connections to support wellbeing and assist and encourage residents to take action to improve their lives.
Eight new ‘neighbourhood connector’ roles have been created thanks to the £2 million grant that has been awarded by Summerfield Charitable Trust, which is based in Cirencester.
The roles will be managed by local community organisations across Gloucester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, and the Forest of Dean. You can read the whole story here.
Your briefing notes…
👨🏽🍳 Gloucestershire success story Procook is planning to open five new stores before the end of 2025. The cookware business, which has its headquarters in Gloucester near junction 12 of the M5 motorway, said its new shops would open in Manchester, Brimingham, Canterbury and Eastbourne in time to capitalise on the busy Christmas period. Procook was founded in 1996 by Daniel O’Neill on his kitchen table. In June this year it posted a £69.5 million turnover.
🏗️ The mayor of Cheltenham is “flabbergasted” at another council’s delays in redeveloping a historic industrial site - home to a firm which once made Spitfire propellors in World War II, the gates to Marble Arch in London and had a hand in the redecoration of Buckingham Palace. Permission was granted to demolish the old buildings on the site in January 2024 to make way for 215 homes, an art studio and mixed use development. Work is yet to start. More here.
🏘️ The power of partnership. The Gloucestershire Homes and Communities Partnership (GHCP), which is made up of Gloucester City Homes, Cheltenham Borough Council Housing Services, Stroud District Council, Bromford, GreenSquareAccord, Rooftop Housing Group and Two Rivers Housing, has said its collective power has helped it deliver 727 new affordable homes across Gloucestershire during the 2024/25 financial year.
Diary Dates…
Wednesday:
The usual series of helpful business-focused events from The Growth Hub’s network of centres continues this week. Today, ‘How to plan for business growth and make it happen’, at The Alliston Centre, Stroud Road, Cirencester. More here.
Netwalking for Women in Business: A relaxed, friendly and supportive netwalking event for women in business and creatives. Crickley Hill Country Park. More here.
Free Business Breakfast Networking Event. Join Tewkesbury Borough Business Voice to network, share ideas, and amplify your business presence in the community. Staged at 270 Climbing Park, Bentham Lane Gloucester GL3 4UD. More here.
Thursday:
The Growth Hub in Cheltenham stages Build a Lead Generation Engine (plus free professional headshots). how to build a modern, scalable sales and marketing system. More here.
More Growth Hub - this time in the Forest of Dean at its Mitcheldean centre. How to have an effective website that delivers great results. More here.
And further into October...
Insider Media, which publishes Bristol-based South West Insider, acknowledges Gloucestershire’s place at the heart of all things cyber, with a panel and audience breakfast event at The Forum in Gloucester on 2nd October 2025.
The University of Gloucestershire is hosting a free public lecture on 8 October 2025, where leading economist Professor Malcolm Prowle will look at why the UK struggles to achieve economic growth. More here.
Gloucestershire Tech Week: Cyber security and technology community, CyNam, has revealed its global line-up for the Secure Futures Series – a week-long programme from 13 to 17 of October.
Part of the above tech week... founders and leaders from the cyber world share how Gloucestershire’s unique ecosystem helped them grow sustainably through support, community, and connection. More here.
Willans LLP solicitors is due to stage a special seminar - Real Estate unlocked: from lease terms to litigation seminar - on October 23. More here.
New restaurant for Gloucester: The city’s renaissance hits its stride
Loungers, which markets itself as a cosy, community-focused restaurant chain, is actually owned by a multi-million pound wealth fund - and it’s about to open a new restaurant in the centre of Gloucester.
After years of waiting for the right tenant to come along, Gloucester City Council can breathe a sigh of relief, with the announcement that the restaurant chain Loungers is to take over the former Chambers pub.
It puts another key piece of the jigsaw in place for the council’s bold vision dreamed up almost a decade ago with developer Reef Group, which saw it take over property in and around King’s Square and put in place what it markets as a £107 million redevelopment.
Much of that vision and spend is centred around the adjacent Forum building, the stylish steel office, leisure and retail space now open between King’s Square and the £8.5 million Gloucester Transport Hub (bus station).
But with the University of Gloucestershire also investing an estimated eye-watering £75 million in redeveloping the former Debenhams building overlooking the square into a new campus, and the square itself already subject to a £5 million makeover, the empty former Chambers pub had nowhere to hide.
Luke Lutman, chief executive officer of Gloucester Chamber of Commerce, is one of many who has welcomed the news it is abotu to be bought back to life and what it says about the city.
“I think it is a good fit for the city. It is what the council wanted - something that is about food as well as drink.
“It should complement what else is going on with the nearby Hotel Indigo (part of The Forum development). It is good to see something positive going into that space.
“It shows that if you open up units in the city centre the right businesses are interested, will come, and they will create jobs,” said Lutman.
Emily Gibbon, manager of Gloucester BID, which represents city centre businesses and organisations, said: “It is fantastic news. It is such a prime spot now, with the Forum opposite and the university campus the other side of the square. It is more positive news for the city.”
Jason Robinson, senior destination manager for King’s Walk shopping centre, which opens out onto the square, said: “We are excited to see another great brand coming into King’s Walk and King’s Square.
“This demonstrates both the draw of our city and the confidence that the business community has in our offering.
“This further enhances the overall offering of Kings Square. We are very much looking forward to an exciting future.”
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Alex Cottrell, head of external relations at the University of Gloucestershire, said: “The addition of Loungers Group to the food and entertainment offer in Gloucester really is fantastic news.
“A key aim of the University of Gloucestershire’s City Campus development has always been to enhance the prosperity and vibrancy of Kings Square and the surrounding area through increased footfall with staff, students, friends and families choosing to spend more time there.
“The news about Loungers group is a further vote of confidence in Gloucester city centre.”
Freddie Fforde is founder of flexible office space Patch, which announced its move into The Forum office space this summer. Patch will be able to host over 100 businesses and 500 members, offer private offices, coworking studios, dedicated desks, and members’ lounges and publicly bookable meeting rooms and production studios.
“The arrival of Loungers is yet another positive signal for the momentum in the centre of town,” said Fforde.
“Alongside our neighbours at the Forum, the university’s excellent space and our own Patch spaces for work, culture and community, the momentum is positive, inclusive and immediate.”
Marketing from the city council says the undisclosed investment by Loungers to transform the 5,000 sq ft space will create between 30 and 40 new jobs.
It’s not known whether it has bought the building or is renting it. (Raikes asked the city council, but had heard nothing by time of publication).
Subject to planning permission and being granted a premises licence, the Loungers said it hoped to have the city centre venue open in Spring/Summer 2026.
It will add another venue to the 263-plus now owned by the business, which was famously started by three friends from Bristol.
The business already has a footprint in Gloucester, with Portivo Lounger at Gloucester Quays, as well as the Curio Lounger in Stroud, Rosado Lounge in Tewkesbury, Fioro Lounge in Cheltenham and Toro Lounge in Cirencester.
The firm is now so big it is a public company owned by the US-based private equity firm Fortress Investment Group, which bought the Loungers chain for £354.4 million in February 2025.
The group is co-owned by American billionaire businessman Wesley Edens, who is also an owner of Aston Villa FC.
Alex Kalebic, head of acquisitions, Loungers said: “We are looking forward to bringing our well-loved family-friendly, all-day offer, and second site to the city centre, and to playing our part at the heart of this exciting regeneration scheme.”
The news comes soon after the growing office and events space operator Patch announced it will open its flagship site in the Forum, with anchor tenant internet service provider Fasthosts already in situ.
Councillor Jeremy Hilton, leader of the city council, called Loungers decision “great news for Gloucester and another huge step towards the transformation of the city”.