MADE Festival Star Invests in Sheffield
Luke Johnson, one of the keynote speakers at this year’s MADE: The Entrepreneur Festival, has invested in Sheffield after experiencing the vibrant, cosmopolitan and entrepreneurial city first hand during his time here in September.
Luke is the Chairman of Pattiserie Valerie which has opened its 50th UK store in Sheffield’s Barkers Pool this week.
Johnson said: “MADE Festival was an inspiration to entrepreneurs and established businesses across the UK. There was such an uplifting buzz with people swapping stories, ideas, networking, discussing deals and creating opportunities.
“Sheffield has clearly come a long way over the last decade and I fully support its confidence in pitching itself as a hub of entrepreneurialism and innovation.
“We therefore identified Sheffield as a fantastic opportunity for Patisserie Valerie and I am looking forward to seeing the store thrive in the city.”
Luke is one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs. He is Chairman of Giraffe restaurants and Risk Capital Partners, and the former Chairman of Channel 4 Television. Luke writes a weekly column for the Financial Times and wrote for the Sunday Telegraph for eight years. He was Chairman of PizzaExpress during the 1990s and has also owned companies in recruitment, dentistry and retailing.
Brendan Moffett, Director of Marketing Sheffield – the organisation behind the festival, commented: “This news proves that today’s visitor really is tomorrow’s inward investor.
“The most valuable way of promoting the city is to encourage people to come here and experience it for themselves which is the underlying aim of the city’s marketing strategy. MADE brought government ministers, global business leaders, TV Dragons and some of the UK’s most enthusiastic entrepreneurial minds to Sheffield. I am delighted to see the festival really starting to pay dividends and would like to thank Off the Shelf who secured Luke to come and take part.”
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