Thornton’s Budgens bought by Kavanagh Group

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Retailer Andrew Thornton has sold his Thornton’s Budgens store in Belsize Park, north London, to Kavanagh Group for an undisclosed sum.

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Kavanagh Group owns 11 SuperValu stores in Ireland and a number of stores in the UK. The company is operated by chairman Noel Kavanagh Snr and managing director Noel Kavanagh Jnr.

Thornton said: “After 14 amazing years in Belsize Park, it is time for me to move onto the next chapter of my life and to give the store and the team the chance to keep developing.”

He added: “They are very inspired by what we have done at Thornton’s Budgens and have exciting plans to keep developing the store along the same lines as we have. They are excellent retailers and I am totally confident that they will keep up (and probably improve on) our excellent standards.

“I am also thrilled that they have asked me to become an advisor to their business, with a focus on environmental issues and keeping up with the latest food trends. They are fully committed to continuing with our plastic-free journey.”

Thornton is also advising two UK ‘better for the environment’ start-ups and has a number of other non-exec/advisory roles in discussion. His book ‘Putting the Heart back into Business’ is due out in March 2022 and he will continue his Heart in Business training work with other business leaders.

Kavanagh Group managing director, Noel Kavanagh Jnr, said: “This is a very exciting acquisition for the Kavanagh group. A superb location in North London and a truly unique store. Under Andrew’s guidance, Budgens Belsize Park has been a market leader in sustainability and food innovation, introducing many new concepts such as the hugely successful Sushi bar.

“To further enhance the offering and customer experience, we are planning to invest in excess of a million pounds in early 2022. In the meantime, I look forward to welcoming all existing team members into the Kavanagh Group.”

The store will continue to trade as Thornton’s Budgens in the short term and it will be re-branded as Kavanagh’s Budgens later in the year. The sale is due to complete on 9 June.