A former buyer at Marks & Spencer took a fresh step towards his dream of creating a nationwide chain of Indian restaurants yesterday when he paid £4.4 million for the Bombay Bicycle Club brand.

Jamal Hirani, whose Gourmet Restaurants group owns the Tiffinbites chain, is buying three restaurants and 15 delivery kitchens, all of them in London, from Clapham House Group, the owner of the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Tootsies and Real Greek chains.

Mr Hirani said he saw huge potential in Bombay Bicycle Club’s takeaway operation, which he believes could be expanded to between 100 and 200 locations throughout Britain: “Bombay Bicycle Club is the Indian Domino’s Pizza – there’s a big opportunity.”

He has launched an ambitious expansion programme for Tiffinbites outside London, with sites planned in Oxford, Leeds and Birmingham to add to its concessions in seven Selfridges stores. Its first international franchise will lead to the opening of two outlets in Dubai. He has also acquired Vama, a more upmarket Indian eaterie in Chelsea that supplies food to several airlines, and he plans to open more restaurants under the Vama brand.

Mr Hirani, who is backed by ICICI, one of India’s biggest banks, said there was an opportunity to consolidate the fragmented Indian restaurant market.

Clapham House, which is taking a £1.9 million hit against the value of Bombay Bicycle, will use the proceeds to reduce its £18 million debt burden and speed up expansion of the Gourmet Burger chain. Shares in Clapham House jumped by 12p to 92p.

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