Hospitality chain set to open branch in town high street

HOSPITALITY chain Lounges looks set to open a new branch in a former HSBC Bank building in New Milton.

The hospitality chain, which already has venues in Christchurch, Lymington and Ringwood, has been rumoured to be looking for a venue to launch a New Milton branch for several months.

Now a number of job adverts have appeared on Lounges recruitment pages for roles including a restaurant manager, assistant manager, head chef and sous chef.

The restaurant and bar chain looks set to open at 87 Station Road, in a former HSBC building which is located next to M&S Food, according to an advert for an assistant managers position with a salary £30,000 to £34,000 a year.

Applicants should bring “a natural talent and passion for hospitality” and be an “amazing people manager with a flair for talent spotting”.

Other desirable attributes include good literacy skills and excellent attention to detail.

The general manager role is advertised with a salary of £34,000 to £42,000, along with a head chef role with a salary of £34,000 to £42,000, with a number of benefits including paid breaks and staff food on every shift.

A spokesperson for Loungers says: “We are in advanced negotiations on a site in New Milton – it’s a great area and we are hopeful to join the local community by opening a Lounge and creating between 30-40 new jobs.

“Nothing is totally confirmed yet, however, for every Lounge we open, it’s important to us that we give back to the community – we partner with local charities to raise funds, our spaces are used for meetings of local groups and businesses, and we encourage customers to use us as a community hub.

“We hope to have more info on the site in New Milton soon.”

Lounges is part of Loungers plc, which was launched in 2002 by three friends, Dave Reid, Alex Reilley, and Jake Bishop. Its first venue was a café-bar named Lounge which opened in Bristol.

Loungers now operates more than 280 sites across England and Wales, across three distinct brands - Lounge, Cosy Club, and Brightside.