International property and construction consultancy Gleeds has been appointed by North Food Ltd, the UK subsidiary of established Polish catering and hospitality firm North Food Polska, as project and cost manager on the delivery of the business’ first four North Fish restaurants outside of Poland.

Since its inception in 2002, a total of 46 restaurants have opened under the North Food Polska banner in its home market and the firm is now embarking upon an ambitious global expansion plan which will begin with the development of its footprint here in the UK. Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, London will be the first site to open as part of a wider roll-out programme for the parent company’s North Fish brand which will see the chain take up residence at a number of high-profile shopping destinations across the country.

Despite the substantial logistical challenges brought about by the outbreak of Covid-19 the Gleeds team has worked closely with the client and been able progress the first of four new developments at speed. The appointment of a contractor to deliver the fit out of the 768 ft² food and beverage unit in Westfield’s food court is expected imminently and, following that, works on site are expected to get underway later this month. The outlet is due to be fully operational by December this year.

Commenting on the appointment Kara Thompson, Director at Gleeds London Project Management who is responsible for the programme, said:

“North Food Polska has been operational for nearly twenty years and is fantastically successful in Poland, so I am delighted to be part of the team which will be bringing its renowned North Fish brand to the UK for the first time. In spite of the challenging global backdrop, North Food Ltd and Gleeds are committed to delivering a new, quality quick service restaurant to Westfield Stratford by the end of the year and we look forward to working together to extend their offering nationwide in the coming months”.