Camile Thai resumes UK growth with Southsea opening

Irish franchise brand Camile Thai has opened a restaurant in Southsea, Portsmouth, taking its UK estate to seven locations. The opening marks a renewed expansion push three years after two UK companies entered liquidation, with Southampton identified as the next destination and an ambition to build a network comparable in size to its Irish estate.

An Irish brand rebuilds its UK presence

According to a report published by L’Express Franchise on 24 September 2026, Camile Thai now operates 47 restaurants, including 40 in Ireland. Founded in Ireland in 2010, the brand therefore retains a substantially larger presence in its home market than across its UK locations.

The seven UK restaurants comprise five in England and two in Northern Ireland. The brand’s UK website lists Southsea, Winchester, Winton in Dorset, Clapham and Epsom, alongside Ballyhackamore and Lisburn Road in Belfast.

Southampton is listed as coming soon, with an opening planned for late 2026 or early 2027. That makes it the next confirmed step in the expansion programme, rather than simply a location on a longer-term wish list.

Katie Gribben, who leads Camile’s expansion, told Propel: “We hope to grow the brand to a similar size in the UK as in Ireland, if not bigger.”

That statement sets out the scale of the ambition, but the reported plans do not give a deadline for achieving it. For Ireland’s franchise community, the immediate development is the Southsea opening and the planned Southampton restaurant, not a confirmed timetable for a much larger UK network.

Growth follows the 2023 liquidations

The renewed push comes after a significant setback. In April 2023, Camile Thai Kitchen (UK) Ltd and Camile Thai Franchise (UK) Limited entered liquidation with liabilities of £4.6 million. That included £2.9 million owed to the Irish parent.

Those figures relate to the two companies involved in the 2023 liquidations. They should not be read as a statement about the current financial position of the wider brand or its Irish restaurants.

The latest opening gives the return a tangible milestone. Alongside the existing English restaurants and Belfast locations, Southsea provides another trading address from which the brand is pursuing its stated UK ambitions.

For prospective franchise partners, the history makes the identity of the contracting company and the structure of the current offer important due-diligence questions. A new opening demonstrates activity, but it does not, by itself, establish the commercial performance of an individual restaurant or the terms available to a new operator.

Ireland remains the larger operating base

While the latest opening is in England, Ireland remains central to the story. Camile’s 40 Irish restaurants account for most of its reported 47-restaurant estate, and its franchisor company, Camile Franchising Limited, is registered in Dublin.

The group also operates seven Petite Camile units and 15 locations of its Indian concept, Thindi, in Ireland. These are reported separately from the Camile Thai restaurant count and should not be folded into that figure without clarification.

In Ireland, Petite Camile has been expanding through smaller-format locations with travel and forecourt partners. The reported partners include SSP at airports and Circle K at motorway service stations.

A Dublin Connolly station unit was among three Petite Camile openings in early 2026. Those developments show that the group’s Irish activity is not confined to the high street restaurant format, even as the Southsea opening brings renewed attention to its UK plans.

What prospective franchisees should check

Camile’s franchise page, written for the Irish market, gives a total investment range of €250,000 to €450,000 for a high street restaurant, with at least €100,000 in personal capital.

These are Irish-market figures. They should not be treated as a confirmed quotation for a UK restaurant or a Petite Camile unit. Anyone considering an opportunity should request current, location-specific costs and establish which format the information covers.

The Dublin registration of the franchisor also makes it sensible for cross-border applicants to clarify which company would sign the agreement and which country’s law would govern it.

Practical takeaway: Camile’s Southsea opening is a concrete step in its UK return. Prospective partners should distinguish its wider growth ambition from confirmed openings, and verify the current contract, investment requirements and operating model before committing.