John Vincent, co‑founder of British fresh fast‑food restaurant chain Leon, has repurchased the business from Asda.
The reacquisition follows criticism that Asda’s stewardship had shifted Leon away from the health‑focused ethos on which it was founded.
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Recent menu additions at the fast‑food chain encompass higher‑calorie items such as burgers, baked fries, chicken nuggets, cookies and cakes.
Leon also launched frozen and microwaveable products intended for sale in supermarkets.
Leon co-founder and prominent national food policy adviser Henry Dimbleby was quoted in The Telegraph: “I know how easy it is to be sucked down into just going for the thing that’s tasty – the sugar, the salt, something that’s cheap.
“What they’ve gone to here is they’ve realised chips sell, air fryers sell, that’s the cheapest way to make money. But in the long term, that’s going to destroy the brand.”
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By GlobalDataThe current transaction covers 46 company‑run Leon restaurants, 20 UK franchise sites, three franchised locations in the Netherlands and one in Italy.
Vincent set up Leon in 2004 with former government health advisor Henry Dimbleby.
He previously sold the group to brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa in 2021 as part of a broader £100m transaction.
The Issa brothers’ EG Group then sold Leon to Asda in 2023 as the group was reshaping its UK convenience and foodservice holdings to address financial pressures.
The fast‑food chain employs around 1,120 staff.
Leon’s latest annual results show that revenues fell to £62.5m in 2024, down from £64.9m the previous year.
