Bristol gourmet pie company Pieminister is to open five new restaurants across the UK and create more than 80 jobs after securing a £1.4m finance package from HSBC.
The funding will be used to open and fit-out the new Pieminister outlets in as-yet-unnamed locations, taking its total to 16 under the firm’s strategy to target thriving university cities. 
Last November the firm, launched in Stokes Croft in 2003, announced ambitious plans to increase its number of restaurants to 30 by 2020. It listed Bath, Brighton, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Liverpool among its target cities as well as more locations in London, such as Brixton, Clapham, Earls Court and Tooting.
Part of the new HSBC finance will be used to refurbish existing outlets in Manchester and Trentham, near Stoke-on-Trent.
The firm’s turnover is expected to increase by around £4.5m to around £14m once the new sites have opened.
Pieminister co-founder and managing director Jon Simon said: “HSBC has believed in and supported Pieminister since we made our first pies back in 2003. The five new stores, which wouldn’t have been possible without this latest round of funding from the bank, will underpin the next stage of our growth plans.
“The team at HSBC have been on hand every step of the way to ensure the needs of the business are met as we continue to grow our brand across the UK.”
HSBC area director for Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, James Shepherd, added: “HSBC has been supporting Pieminister since it began, in which time we’ve seen the company grow financially and its brand go from strength to strength.
“At HSBC we pride ourselves on providing support for businesses from the time they join the bank as a start-up and then across all stages of their business life cycle, so it’s particularly pleasing to see the level of growth Pieminister has achieved since our relationship first commenced.” 
Pieminister existing restaurants and cafes are in Bristol (Stokes Croft, Broad Quay and St Nicholas Market), Nottingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Oxford, Exeter and London (Gabriel’s Wharf, Leather Lane and Imperial University).
Its pies are also stocked by pubs and market stalls as well as some of the UK’s finest independent food retailers and food halls, including Harrods in Knightsbridge and wholefoods stores nationwide.
A selection of Pieminister products are also sold in supermarkets including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
The company also has a strong commitment to high animal welfare when sourcing ingredients.
Pictured: Pieminister co-founders Tristan Hogg, left, and Jon Simon. Photos courtesy of Pieminister
