A FORMER hospitality executive has taken the reins at the Woodhouse café and farm shop in the Stirlingshire village of Kippen, with the support of a six-figure funding package from Bank of Scotland.
Sarah Wilkinson is said to have played a key role in growing the Carluccio’s restaurant group, which she joined as manager of its first London restaurants in 1999 and went on to help expand the chain to 102 UK outlets as chief operating officer, before stepping down in 2017.
Following the acquisition of the Woodhouse under her new company Cane Hospitality, Wilkinson plans to extend the cafe’s offer and grow turnover by up to 15% over the next five years as well as providing more training opportunities for the venue’s staff.
“When the opportunity to buy the Woodhouse presented itself, I jumped at the chance,” she said. “I used to be a customer myself. Bank of Scotland was by our side throughout the entire process, making it incredibly straightforward.”
