Billionaires Issa Brothers Take Over UK Fast-food Chain Leon

Mohsin and Zuber Issa, Indian-origin billionaire brothers procured Leon, a popular British fast food chain. This acquisition is a part of what they described as their goal to develop their foodservice operations in Britain.

The Issa brothers’ parents moved to the UK from Gujarat in the 1970s, and owned the Euro Garages chain of petrol stations as part of their EG Group business. However, in 2020, they acquired a leading UK supermarket chain Asda from US owners Walmart as part of the strategy to expand their non-fuel business.

Leon was established in 2004 by John Vincent, Henry Dimbleby and Chef Allegra McEvedy pitches itself in the category of “naturally fast food” with a focus on creating a healthy menu that tastes good, in a sustainable way. The acquisition’s worth is estimated to be 100 million pounds.

Mohsin and Zuber Issa, co-founders and co-CEOs of the EG Group says, “Leon is a fantastic brand that we have long admired. As established entrepreneurs in the foodservice retail market ourselves, we have a huge admiration for the business that John and the Leon team have built over the years, and firmly believe that their culture and values closely align with our own.”

They continue, “The acquisition of Leon presents EG Group with a fantastic opportunity to further develop the menu offer, the various concession formats including drive-throughs, and will enable us to significantly build on the existing network by exploring opportunities across our own sites along with other strategic locations.”

Leon has a extensive network of over 70 restaurants and 42 company-owned restaurants operated on leasehold locations, with a strong presence in London as well as other large cities across the UK.

Furthermore, it has 29 franchised sites at key strategic transport hubs (mostly airports and train stations) across Britain and five other European markets, principally the Netherlands. Leon has also made it accessible to customers at home and generates crucial revenue from its branded cookbooks, own brand groceries and provision of home delivery ready meals.