Mission Mars has seen 18 record weeks of trading at its Albert’s Schloss venue in London, according to CEO Roy Ellis.
Speaking at the Peach 20/20 Leaders Summit in London this week, Ellis said the newest site under the group’s four-strong Bavarian bier palace concept is “pretty much going the way we hoped it would.”
He also revealed Mission Mars may open up to 10 sites under the Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana brand over the next 12 months. Rudy’s currently trades from c.26 pizzerias across the UK, and is looking to maximise both existing sites while actively opening new ones.
When it comes to Albert’s Schloss, the group is working “with the assets we’ve got”.
“Over the next 12 months, we’re making sure London gets up to speed,” Ellis explained.
Build a buffer
The goal is to continue growing revenues at a faster place than inflation, he added.
When asked about the impact of rising labour costs as announced in the October Budget, Ellis said the plan is to trade strongly in the first half of the year “and build a buffer against the budget, rather than putting all the inflationary costs through in April.”
“We’d baked in employment costs… and bit the bullet on young employees a long time ago. Everyone is paid the same.
“We invest in our people, but make sure it delivers. We’ve had more than three years of double-digit like-for-like sales in Rudy’s, and [up to] 8% growth in Albert’s Schloss, way beyond the industry average.
Power us through
Earlier this year, Mission Mars reported group revenue for FY23 totalled £71.1m (FY22 £47.1m), with Albert’s Schloss contributing £32.3m (FY22 £21.6m) and Rudy’s £29.3m (FY22 £16.1m).
On a like-for-like basis, comparing its Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool venues, Albert’s Schloss delivered growth of 6% in FY23, whilst Rudy’s delivered 24%.
For Ellis, the investment in people – from inductions and career pathways to bonus schemes and workplace culture – has paid off.
In addition, a differentiated food and drink offer, served alongside unique, memorable hospitality experiences, has factored heavily into Albert’s Schloss’ success, he emphasised.
“That will hopefully power us through to 2025.”