Mon 5th Feb 2018 - Thai and Argentinian steak brands merge in share deal Thai and Argentinian steak brands merge in share deal: High Road Restaurants BidCo, the owner of the Koh Thai Tapas chain of Thai restaurants, has announced a share merger with Buenos Aires Restaurants Holdings, owner of the Buenos Aires (BA) and Buenasado chain of Argentine steakhouses, to form a multi-branded restaurant group. Steve Hill and Gareth Lloyd-Jones both join the board of High Road to head the enlarged group as executive chairman and chief executive respectively. The pair will be working with Andy Lennox, of Koh, and Massimo Osella, of BA, who have been instrumental in building the brands to date and remain in their roles to drive further growth. Grace Henderson-Londoño, co-founder of Alcuin Capital Partners and investor in the High Road Group, said: “The merger of Koh and BA brings together two strong and profitable restaurant brands. We look forward to working with Andy, Massimo, and the rest of the teams at BA and Koh to take advantage of the opportunities that currently exist in the sector. As part of a larger group, both brands will benefit from strategic and operational synergies, as well as the experience and financial backing that we, Gareth and Steve can bring to grow value in the group.” Koh was established in 2009 in Bournemouth. Koh currently operates 12 restaurants across Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset and Hampshire. The group has built a strong name in the south of England, won numerous national awards such as Eat Out’s Brand of the Year 2016 and is currently ranked sixth in the UK as Best Employer in Hospitality. Buenos Aires was established in 2011 in Wimbledon, south west London, and is a specialist Argentine steakhouse chain which has grown steadily with six restaurants in London and the south east.