Hammerson has announced that Haidilao, China’s largest hot pot restaurant chain, has selected Bullring for its first site in the UK outside of London. The 8,073sq ft restaurant will join St Martin’s Square, and is set to launch in early 2021.
Founded in 1994 Haidilao now has over 750 restaurants globally including sites in China, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, the US, Canada, and Australia. The Bullring restaurant will be the brand’s first outside of London and only its third site in the UK.
The new restaurant will include traditional hot pots at every table, and customers will be able to choose from the brand’s renowned soups, as well as cook their choice of meat, vegetables and noodles in the Chinese tradition.
Iain Mitchell, UK commercial director at Hammerson, added: “Bullring and Grand Central remains one of the nation’s leading retail and leisure destinations, and the fact that a global brand like Haidilao has chosen the centre for its first restaurant outside of London really demonstrates that. Restaurants and bars are having a really tough time at the moment, but today’s announcement shows that with the right brand in the right location, there is still scope for growth.”
A spokesperson for Haidilao said: “As the UK’s second city, and one with a large multi-cultural population, Birmingham is the ideal location for the first restaurant outside of London. In our national expansion plans, the Bullring provides us with the high footfall, strong reputation and central position that we seek.”
