Acquisition of Villandry by Maison Madeleine Ltd.

April 30, 2011

Acquisition of Villandry by Maison Madeleine Ltd.

Philippe Le Roux, former Managing Director of Village du Pain Ltd trading as Le Pain Quotidien has purchased the food institution, Villandry, from Hush owner Jamie Barber.

The deal comes a month after Jamie Barber’s sale of his Kitchen Italia group of restaurants.

Philippe Le Roux said: “I am honoured to be part of the Villandry story and delighted to be working with such a fresh and dynamic team”.

Jamie Barber said: “Philippe is one of the most skilled operators of his class and I am delighted to pass the keys of Villandry on to him knowing that he has plans to grow the business and take it to the next level”.

Coffer Corporate Leisure acted on behalf of the purchaser in the transaction.

Villandry was founded over 20 years on Marylebone High Street. Its flagship site in Great Portland Street includes a food store, bakery, restaurant and bar. It is a culinary institution. There is also a highly successful outlet at Bicester Village.

Philippe Le Roux was the founder of Village du Pain Ltd which brought Le Pain Quotidien to the UK. It is a former Emerging Concept Winner at the Retailer’s Retailer Awards and successfully sold Village du Pain to the franchisor, PQL, in 2009.

Coffer Corporate Leisure is a dedicated merger and acquisitions adviser to the leisure and hospitality sector. Mark Sheehan of Coffer Corporate Leisure said: “Villandry is an iconic brand and the Great Portland Street store an institution. Philippe is an excellent operator with a proven track record. He plans to grow Villandry and capitalise on its strong brand. This is yet another example of investment in the leisure sector. We have had a very strong 2011 so far and working on a number of other deals. Investors have a very large appetite and are clamouring to invest at the bottom of the cycle. “