COM Comptoir Group Plc

28 January 2025

Comptoir Group Plc

("Comptoir", the "Group" or the "Company")

Board Appointment of a new Chair

Further to the announcement on 14 January 2025, Comptoir Group Plc (AIM: COM), the owner and operator of Lebanese, Middle Eastern and North African inspired restaurants, is pleased to announce the formal appointment of Richard Kleiner as Non-Executive Chair, with immediate effect.

Richard Kleiner brings a wealth of relevant experience and knowledge to the Company, having previously served on the Board as Non-Executive Chair between March 2014 and August 2022. Mr. Kleiner is a chartered accountant by profession with many years' experience in corporate finance, public markets and mergers and acquisitions. In addition to being the Chairman of Gerald Edelman Chartered Accountants, Mr. Kleiner was also a Non-Executive Director of Avanti Capital plc, which was an AIM-listed investment company. Mr. Kleiner also has a number of other private company non-executive directorships. With this background Mr. Kleiner has substantial experience in guiding companies through their various phases of corporate development and growth.

The Company continues its search to identify a suitable independent Non-Executive Director to join the Board, ideally with relevant hospitality experience. Ali Aneizi will remain on the Board but with the appointment of the new Chair, Richard Kleiner, Jean-Michel Orieux will step down from the Board and his role as Chair with immediate effect.

In addition, further to the announcement on 14 January 2025, the formal appointment of Chaker Hanna, as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, is expected to be announced imminently upon his return from a period of overseas travel in Asia.

Related Party Arrangements

The Company has engaged Gerald Edelman, Chartered Accountants, to provide accounting and tax services to the Company, since before to its IPO in 2016. Richard Kleiner has an interest in Gerald Edelman, as its current Chairman, and has an interest in Richard Kleiner LLP, which is a partner of Gerald Edelman. The Company will pay fees to Gerald Edelman, in respect of Richard Kleiner's Non-Executive Director and Chair fees received from the Company going forward. The Group, in the previous financial year to 31 December 2023, paid an annual retainer for accounting and tax services totalling £33,000, to Gerald Edelman. Gerald Edelman will be considered a related party to the Company going forward.

Enquiries

Further disclosures pursuant to Rule 17 and Schedule Two, paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies: 

Mr. Richard Howard Kleiner

The following information regarding the appointment of Mr. Richard Howard Kleiner, aged 66, is disclosed under Schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules for Companies:

Richard is presently a director of Riley Property Developments Limited. The company has been in receivership since 21 January 2013. The latest receiver's progress report dated 27 November 2014, indicates total payments of £511k, of which £44k relates to claims made by secured creditors.

Richard was previously a director of Subscribbe Limited, resigning on 17 October 2023. After he had left employment, the company was subject to compulsory strike off effective on 11 June 2024 and ultimately dissolved on 18 June 2024.

Richard was a non-executive director of Avanti Capital plc, when the company entered into members' voluntary liquidation on 20 July 2018. The final liquidators' report dated 4 September 2023 confirms that there were no secured or preferential creditors. Claims made by unsecured creditors amounting to £5k, were paid in full.  The company was dissolved on 25 July 2024.

Richard was a director of Avanti Holdings plc (a subsidiary to Avanti Capital plc), when the company entered into members' voluntary liquidation on 25 July 2018. There were no secured, preferential or unsecured creditors identified in the final liquidators' report dated 5 September 2019. The company was dissolved on 17 December 2020.

Richard was a director of Odyssey Partners Limited, when the company entered into members' voluntary liquidation on 10 March 2020. The final liquidators' report dated 19 March 2022 details claims made by unsecured creditors amounting to £2.8k. This was paid in full.  The company was dissolved on 6 May 2023.

Richard was a director of Cornhill Financial Services Limited, when the company entered into members' voluntary liquidation on 11 December 2018. The final liquidators' report dated 13 December 2019 details an unsecured creditor amount payable to HMRC with respect to corporation tax liability of £479k inclusive of interest. This was paid in full.  The company was dissolved on 8 January 2021.

Mr. Kleiner currently holds 610,000 Ordinary Shares, representing c.0.5% of the Company's issued Ordinary Share capital.

Save for the information set out above, there are no further disclosures to be made in accordance with Rule 17 and Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies in respect of the appointment of Richard Kleiner.

About Comptoir Group PLC

Comptoir Group PLC owns and operates 27 Lebanese, Middle East and North African inspired restaurants, six of which are franchised, based predominately in the UK. The flagship brand of the group, Comptoir Libanais, is a collection of 22 restaurants located across London, nationwide and international Travel Hubs, including cities such as Manchester, Bath, Birmingham, Oxford, Dubai and Milan.

The name Comptoir Libanais means Lebanese Counter and is a place where guests can eat casually and enjoy Lebanese, Middle Eastern and North African food, served with warm and friendly hospitality and a bright vibrant environment.

The Group also operates Shawa, serving traditional shawarma through a counter service model in Westfield and Bluewater shopping centres and Abu Dhabi and Yalla-Yalla with a branch near Oxford Circus.

The group has expanded internationally with its franchise partners Avolta and Areas, with restaurants in the Netherlands, Qatar and UAE and Italy.