First operations director as Livelyhood Venues plans growth

Livelyhood Venues, which is headed by Sarah Wall, has appointed Rob Conacher, ex-head of operations at restaurant group ATFC and a former business development manager at Greene King, as operations director as it eyes expansion.

The company has also secured its sixth pub, a private free-of-tie lease at the former Billabong in Wimbledon, south-west London, which is set to reopen as the Old Frizzle in June.

Davis Coffer Lyons acted on behalf of the landlord.

Wall told M&C Report: “We hope to open a further four sites in the next 12 months.”

Livelyhood Venues will focus on pubs for new acquisitions, with expansion of its restaurants under review.

The firm’s pubs include the Clapham North, the Frog (formerly the Frog & Forget-Me-Not), and the Royal Oak in Clapham, plus the Normanby in Putney and the Regent in Balham. It runs two restaurants — Lily’s and four o nine — both in Clapham.

Parent company Livelyhood also operates a gourmet potato concept called Spud, with one site in Covent Garden.