Market Place

HEY PREZZO!


Kettering Borough Council are delighted to reveal the latest success story for the town: the imminent arrival of national restaurant chain Prezzo.

The deal will see Italian-themed family restaurant Prezzo open at unit 2 of the council-owned market place restaurants this summer, and the first step in this process is the submission of a drinks license.

Paul Thomas, the officer responsbile for regeneration activities in Kettering town centre said that although the news was clearly very positive, there was still a formal process to go through.

The confirmed interest from Prezzo follows the completion of construction works on the market place buildings in June last year and a successful period in the run up to Christmas which saw all 10 of the apartments let in just 2 months.

Feedback on the restaurant units following completion of the building works had been consistently very positive, with a number of national restaurant chains saying that they loved the building and its setting and could see real potential in the town, but there was a real nervousness about the national economy that was affecting their investment decisions.

Councilor Alison Wiley is responsible for the council’s finances, she said:

“Following this feedback, Kettering Borough Council looked very carefully at how it could leverage investment into the town and came up with an innovative and attractive arrangement which we hope will secure a good return for the taxpayers of the Borough”

She added:

“It is typical of Kettering Borough Council, that we have brought such commercial thinking, to the letting of the restaurant units and we are overjoyed that this has proven successful in attracting an operator of Prezzo’s quality”

Prezzo spokesman Eddie Gershon is excited about their latest venture:

"When we came to Kettering and saw the town and understood the borough council's vision for the town we were immediately excited by the potential of the area. Then we saw the unit that Kettering borough council had designed and built and we knew we had to be here. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with the town”


Leader of Kettering Borough Council, Russell Roberts is excited about the imminent arrival of Prezzo:

"There is no doubting the fact that we took a risk when we decided to reinstate the market place buildings. However, we have built something that respects the historic setting of the market place and parish church, that has proven itself as somewhere that people want to live and now, to have achieved our dream of attracting a national restaurant chain to Kettering; it's just incredible.

He added:

“In the teeth of a recession, this is great news”

Councillor Terry Freer, who is responsible for the growth of the Borough is optimistic about the impact that prezzo's arrival will have on the town.

He said:

“Even without the announcement that Prezzo will be coming to our restaurant quarter we have seen national coffee chain costa coffee applying for permission for a second unit in the town, Chatters bar opening on the market place and popular local Indian restaurant Mazza looking for a town centre presence in another council-owned building.”