ONE of the country's fastest growing restaurant chains is set to turn over £60m this year - and it is all orchestrated from an office in Worcester.

The Frankie & Benny's Restaurant and Bar chain has its European headquarters in The Butts, Worcester.

The American-Italian family chain has grown to include 69 sites since it was launched in 1995, with four more set to open this year and a further 15 sites earmarked for 2003.

The latest outlet - designed by award-winning architect Chris Jones, of Dudley-based INC Design Associates Ltd - forms part of the Merry Hill Centre and, according to Frazer Grimbleby, the firm's operations director, there are no plans to stop opening sites.

"We believe the company is in such a strong position and has such a strong brand that we can continue to open restaurants as long as we find the right sites," he said.

"We're committed to opening 15 restaurants next year - we have secured the finance - and are actively signing up sites right across Britain."

Historically, the company has set up restaurants in "destinational leisure sites" - multi-attraction leisure sites situated out of town.

The company is now looking at stand-alone sites on the edge of towns with the aim of becoming the "local neighbourhood restaurant".

Mr Grimbleby, aged 29, joined Frankie & Benny's in 1995 and, in just five months, helped to open four restaurants. The success of these paved the way for parent company City Centre Restaurants plc - which also owns Garfunkels coffee shops - to invest more money and, during the next two years, the number of sites grew to 23.

As well as the 69 UK restaurants there are three in Spain.

The entire European operation is run from Worcester, initially from an office in Foregate Street, and, since 1999, from Virginia House, The Butts.

Mr Grimbleby said the office, run by four Worcester women, was the "hub" of the organisation, which employs 5,000 people and that a large part of the company's success was its strong people culture.