Two ambitious businessmen say they still have confidence in a closure-hit town after opening their second premises in the space of four months.
Friends Bibek Gautam and Demand ‘Sulav’ Shrestha launched a branch of Japanese and Korean-inspired food chain Kokoro in Ashford high street in April.
And now the pair have set up a food trailer at the town’s Designer Outlet on a six-month trial.
Selling meals including chicken katsu curry, vegetable noodles and fried chicken gyoza, the trailer is next to clothing chain All Saints and shoe shop Russell & Bromley.
Willesborough resident Mr Gautam, 34, says the pair plan to stay in the town “for the long-term”.
“We’ve only been open at the outlet a few days but it’s started really well,” he said.
“We have a licence for six months to start with, as we have targets we need to hit to stay there another six months like achieving £700 in sales each week.
“But we love the outlet and have been looking to work there for about a year now.
“We know a lot of places are closing in the town centre, and it can be dead at times on weekdays, but we have an 11-year contract in the high street.
“Since we opened we’ve been busy, especially at the weekends, so we wouldn’t have done that if we didn’t have confidence in Ashford.”
Mr Gautam, a father-of-three, previously worked as an engineer for Openreach.
He is employing three members of staff to run the trailer at the Outlet, which is open seven days a week.
“We are very proud of what we have done together and don’t want to lose it, so that’s why we’re very confident we can make it a success,” Mr Gautam added.
“As much as we love customers, our quality is the food with everything made fresh during the day.
“The outlet is always really busy on a Saturday and in the future maybe we’ll look at being at the outlet permanently. That would be a great thing.”
Mr Shrestha, 29, who also operates the Anytime Fitness gym in New Street, said in April how he wanted to “help” the town centre by filling a long-empty high street unit previously home to TUI.
The town has seen a number of closures in recent months, with Park Mall shopping centre earmarked for demolition early next year.
But the expansion of Kokoro has been met with optimism by Ashford Borough Council (ABC), which says the move is a sign the borough can still provide opportunities for new businesses.
“We are thrilled to see Kokoro expanding following their launch in Ashford town centre,” a spokesman said.
“This growth is a testament to their belief in and commitment to Ashford’s community.
“Congratulations to Kokoro and we wish them every success at both locations.”
Kokoro has more than 70 branches in the UK, including Canterbury, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells and Bromley.
