SANDWICH shop chain Social Bite, which employs people who have been homeless, has unveiled plans to open in Aberdeen next month, with fit-out work now under way at the new outlet.
The business, founded by social entrepreneur Josh Littlejohn, said that up to six people would be employed initially in the sandwich shop in Union Street.
And Social Bite said it also had plans to open in Dundee later in the summer.
One-quarter of Social Bite's staff is made up of formerly homeless people. Social Bite also operates a "suspended" coffee and food programme, through which customers can pay for a hot drink or food for a homeless person. And the business donates its profits to good causes.
Social Bite aims to compete with the likes of Pret A Manger and Greggs in the lunchtime market, and its menus are created by Michelin-starred chef Mike Mathieson.
The Aberdeen shop will be Social Bite's fifth Scottish outlet. The social enterprise already has shops in St Vincent Street and Bothwell Street in Glasgow and in Shandwick Place and Rose Street in Edinburgh.
Mr Littlejohn said: "We're absolutely thrilled to be opening in Aberdeen after many months of planning. The people of Edinburgh and Glasgow have really bought into what we call our 'social business' model and we've had a lot of requests to expand into Aberdeen."
Social Bite has been awarded a grant of £175,000 by the People's Postcode Lottery to enable its expansion into Aberdeen.
The business, which employs 60 people, has also launched a corporate catering division recently.
Social Bite said that this new arm had generated nearly £200,000 of revenue in its first six months of operation, with Deloitte, JP Morgan, Pinsent Masons, and PwC among the regular customers.
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