The Clapham House Group – owner of the Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), The Bombay Bicycle Club (BCC) and Tootsies restaurant chains – has announced plans to expand following strong first quarter preliminary results.

The company’s first GBK outside London will open in Brighton this month and a further 100 potential locations are already lined up.

A similar site expansion across Greater London has been drawn up for BCC.

The group also completed its £25.4m buyout of Urban Dining in May, acquiring the Tootsies burger chain of 30 properties, doubling its portfolio.

The group has announced strong results for the year ended 31 March, with a 132 per cent increase in turnover of £17.3m on £7.5m last year.

Pre-tax profit was almost £700,000 compared with a £600,000 loss in 2005. Details: www.claphamhousegroup.com