Speaker Profile

Simon Potts

CEO, The Alchemist

Simon Potts is Managing Director of The Alchemist, the UK’s leading creative cocktail bar and restaurant brand which was established in Manchester in 2010. He has worked in the industry for 18 years and joined the business in 2015 as a part of a management buyout, backed by Palatine Private Equity.

Simon has overseen The Alchemist’s commercial success, growing revenue from £11m in 2015 to £50m in 2020. The brand has won multiple industry awards, including the consumer’s choice Best Drinks Offer with CGA Peach for 3 consecutive years. The business has also earned plaudits for its CSR and community approach and has been included in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to work for list since 2017.

Today, Simon and his management team are masterminding an exciting growth story. The brand currently operates across 20 venues, in key UK cities including London, Manchester and Birmingham. Recent growth has been concentrated in the Capital, notably the opening of a flagship site in the heart of Canary Wharf. In 2018, his team launched Aether, a development bar concept, in Liverpool.

The Alchemist has continued to evolve its theatrical offer and in 2019 launched an Augmented Reality Cocktail menu through its Conjurer App to further enhance the customer experience.