Wed 29th Apr 2026 - Cote-owner Karali Group in pole position to take on bulk of The Real Greek Cote-owner Karali Group in pole position to take on bulk of The Real Greek: The Karali Group, which last year acquired Côte Restaurants, is closing in on a deal to acquire more than half of the 28-strong The Real Greek business via a pre-pack administration. Propel understands Karali, which also backs Crosstown Doughnuts, is in talks on up to circa 20 of The Real Greek sites. Sky News reported a deal could be formalised by the end of this week. Propel revealed at the start of this month that bids had been made for parts of The Real Greek. It is thought the Karali Group had shown an interest in acquiring circa ten of the best performing sites from The Real Greek estate, while Dunham Massey Investment Group, the investment group led by pop star turned hospitality entrepreneur Recardo Patrick, which acquired the three-strong Proove Pizza business last year, has also been linked to the eastern Mediterranean brand. Propel revealed in March that the likes of serial sector investor Luke Johnson, Brava Hospitality Group – the Cain International-backed owner of Prezzo Italian – and Nabil Mankarious, the co-founder and former managing director of Fulham Shore, were understood to have been among the parties running the rule over the entire business. Fulham Shore was taken private by Toridoll, in partnership with Capdesia, in the spring of 2023, in a deal that valued the business at circa £93.4m. Earlier this month, Propel revealed that Fulham Shore had launched a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) process for its circa 70-strong Franco Manca brand, which will see 16 restaurants close. Propel revealed in February that Fulham Shore had appointed advisors to review its strategic options to ensure both brands are “on the strongest possible footing to realise their long-term potential”. Fulham Shore is working with Alvarez & Marsal on the process. Offers had initially been fielded for both parts of the business, but it is understood Toridoll has now decided to continue to support Franco Manca through the CVA process and beyond. The Real Greek saw turnover increase to £37,105,000 for the year ending 31 March 2024 compared with £35,951,000 the previous year. Headline Ebitda stood at £1,233,000 compared with £3,009,000 the year before. Pre-tax losses were up to £2,876,000 from £394,000 the previous year. Fulham Shore features in the Who’s Who of UK Hospitality, which is one of six databases exclusive to Premium Club subscribers. The latest edition features 1,536 companies. This includes 46 new companies and 197 updated entries. The companies, listed in alphabetical order, have their most recent developments reported as well as broader information around EBITDA, plans and trading style available. The database merges Companies House information, interviews and other public information to provide an easy to reference and exhaustive guide to the sector. A Premium Club subscription costs an annual sum of £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Companies can have an unlimited number of people receive access to Premium Club for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or supplier. A new Premium Unlimited Plus option, which costs £1,995 plus VAT per annum, has some amazing additional benefits including four free tickets to Propel’s paid-for conferences – Excellence in Pub & Bar (19 May), Operational Excellence (9 July) and Talent & Training (15 October) – and the opportunity to run one free sponsored message or situation vacant notice during the year on the newsletter. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.