We’re pleased to have supported café group Federal as it secures new private equity backing from Foresight Group.
Founded in 2014 by Claudio Ribeiro, Federal operates three sites in Manchester and one in Leeds, which opened in December 2025. The investment has been made from Foresight’s North West Fund, North East Fund and West Yorkshire Growth Funds.
Federal has a significant opportunity to expand by accelerating its site rollout and replicating its successful offering and operating model. Foresight’s experience in successful hospitality rollouts, including Mowgli, 200 Degrees Coffee and Roxy Leisure, will help Federal unlock its growth potential to deliver 18 sites by 2030.
In addition, Foresight has appointed Karen Jones as Chairperson to support the Federal management team. Karen brings a wealth of hospitality experience from her extensive executive and non-executive experience with Café Rouge, Frontier Pubs, Hawksmoor, Deliveroo, Whitbread and Mowgli.
Our Private Equity team – led by Partner David Mkhitarian, and Associates Rachel Faulconbridge and Michael Truman – acted as lead legal advisers to Federal on the deal, with support from Alasdair Mackinnon and Jess Hartland (Banking), Nicole Axon and Charlotte Fallon (Tax), James Lonsdale (Commercial) and Richard Kay (Employment).
Supporting Claudio and Federal on this investment has been a great opportunity to help lay the foundations for Federal’s next stage of growth. Federal have created a standout brand with real momentum, and with Foresight’s sector expertise behind them, the business is exceptionally well positioned to scale in the future.David Mkhitarian
Partner at Hill Dickinson
Claudio Ribeiro, Founder and CEO at Federal, said: “This investment marks a significant milestone for Federal. With Foresight’s backing, we can accelerate our regional expansion and bring our unique brunch experience to more communities. We’re proud of what we’ve built and excited about the opportunities ahead.”
David Mkhitarian, Partner and Head of Private Equity at Hill Dickinson, said: “Supporting Claudio and Federal on this investment has been a great opportunity to help lay the foundations for Federal’s next stage of growth. Federal have created a standout brand with real momentum, and with Foresight’s sector expertise behind them, the business is exceptionally well positioned to scale in the future.”