The founder of Mowgli Street Food has revealed why it securing a new private equity backer is so important for the expanding restaurant chain.
Nisha Katona opened her first restaurant in Liverpool almost a decade ago and has watched it grow to 15 sites all over the UK.
Still headquartered in the city, Mowgli is now backed by TriSpan, having been supported by Foresight Group since 2017.
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After the news broke on Monday, January 30, BusinessLive spoke to the celebrity chef, who has appeared on the likes of The Great British Menu and This Morning, to ask why the deal is so important to her company.
"It's such a big boost for Liverpool and that's what's so exciting about it", she said.
"I'm really passionate about creating jobs and that's exactly what this day does, especially in Liverpool.
"Knowing that investment is flowing is amazing and this will allow Mowgli to solidly grow.
"Our head office will still be in Liverpool which is really important to me.
"This deal also means there's hope for anyone; if we can do it, so can they."
Mowgli now has venues in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford, Nottingham, Sheffield, Cardiff, Leicester, Leeds, Cheshire, Cheltenham, London, Glasgow, Preston, Bristol, Edinburgh and Brighton.
In May 2022 the business opened its new headquarters in Liverpool in the same building its founder began her legal career. Nisha Katona was awarded an MBE for her services to the food industry in 2019.
"Mowgli is a home from home. I raise my staff as I would raise my children and that's why it's so special to me", she added.
"We do things that a lot of restaurants do not and a lot of investors don't understand that and they would say our food should be cooked at a central kitchen and then delivered across the UK.
"But Mowgli is all about the food being prepared on site by experts and they know how important it is for the food to remain fresh.
"Not many backers understand why we donate so much to charity, either. But our new partners do understand the business and that's why I chose them.
"This is a backer who understands that Mowgli exists to enrich lives. Having a backer who really understands a purpose like that is so important.
"I've been talking to these people for seven/eight years and they are the kind of people that you would want to hang out with and that matters a great deal.
"They get that I'm the CEO and that I lead this company like I lead my family as a mother."
On why being headquartered in Liverpool is so important to Mowgli, she said: "Us being headquartered in Liverpool means that investors have to travel to the city to see us and attend board meetings.
"We take them out and they can see the city and that leads to them encouraging other investors to come here and speak to local businesses.
"It's so important that people have eyes on the city to encourage other businesses to secure investment."
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