Apprentice winner launches second café in Cardiff Bay

The Apprentice winner Alana Spencer has secured a second location for her Ridiculously Rich By the Sea café in Cardiff, with plans for a Wales-wide roll out of up to 10 sites.

The 2,230 sq ft café, scheduled to open in the spring, will be situated at the main entrance of Mermaid Quay and will operate as a takeaway with seating. The deal was secured by Schroder UK Real Estate Fund.

Spencer opened her first By the Sea café in Aberystwyth in October 2020 after winning BBC One's The Apprentice in 2016 and securing the £250,000 investment from Sir Alan Sugar.

The cafés offer Spencer's range of luxury cakes, cookie pizzas, cookie dough, hot and cold drinks and shakes and sundaes. Savoury meals will also be available, including vegan chicken and Reuben sandwiches with loaded fries.

Spencer said: "After a successful six months at our first By the Sea concept store, we decided it was time to expand. Our key points to look for were beautiful waterfront spots that are on walking routes. Cardiff Bay ticked all these boxes for us. It's a big jump for us, but one we are excited to make. Bring on the next chapter of Ridiculously Rich By the Sea."

Schroder UK Real Estate Fund has plans to continue enhancing the offering at Mermaid Quay, having secured a number of new restaurants, including the Cosy Club in 2019 and Hub Box in 2020.

Further plans include landscaping the public areas, an extension of the car park and further leisure uses and new food and beverage brands.

Harry Pickering, SREF's head of UK retail, added: "Ridiculously Rich By the Sea is sure to prove a popular destination at Mermaid Quay. We are always keen to have strong Welsh businesses as part of the tenant line-up, complementing the UK-wide brands. The cakes are delicious and we can't wait for the café to open.

"This latest letting is just the first of a series of new businesses that will be coming to Mermaid Quay this year, as we bounce back from challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, getting our multimillion-pound repositioning plan for the centre back on track, and enhancing Mermaid Quay's reputation as one of Wales' premier leisure destinations."