Living Ventures Logo

Living Ventures
Management Services

Help grow
your business

With over 30 years experience in building hospitality brands from concept stage to multi site roll outs, Living Ventures Management Services has the experience to help your business grow.

Contact Us

What we offer

Our Services
Union Icon

Provide specialist bookkeeping or full management accounting services tailor-made to your business.

Graph Icon

Provide advice to support and guide the growth and development strategy of your business.

Easel Icon

Provide general business advice in all disciplines including; procurement, marketing to human resources, estate management and IT.

Briefcase Icon

Provide support from experienced hospitality professionals, ensuring industry-focused business solutions.

Our team

Jeremy Roberts

Jeremy Roberts

Executive Chairman

Jeremy began his career in hotel operations before moving into senior management and co-founding Life Restaurants in 1996, with his business partner the late Tim Bacon, which evolved into Living Ventures - the group behind brands like The Alchemist, New World Trading Company/The Botanist, Gusto Italian and Australasia. From 1999 to 2024, he held key leadership roles, in Marketing, Property, Finance and as CEO driving growth and successful exits of ventures worth £1m-£55m. In 2025, he founded LV Management Services to apply over 30 years of experience in scaling hospitality businesses.

Andy Haigh

Andy Haigh

Associate Director

Andy is a qualified accountant who served as Finance Director at Living Ventures from 2007 to 2019, helping drive the growth, launch, sale, and restructuring of multiple hospitality brands. Alongside financial oversight and stakeholder reporting, he also led the IT function, implementing systems to support operational efficiency. His commercial insight and cross-functional leadership were key during a period of rapid expansion and change.

Helen Starkey

Helen Starkey

Finance Director

Helen is a Chartered Accountant (ACA, 2018) who began her hospitality career with Living Ventures at Gusto Restaurants, later taking on the role of Financial Controller at LV Brands during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now Finance Director at LVMS, she oversees accounting operations and strategic forecasting, with expertise in financial reporting, cost control, and planning in the hospitality sector.

A wealth of experience

Living Ventures is 31 years in the making.
Our adventures in business start in 1993...

Timeline Icon

1993

JW Johnson's

Restaurant and Bar
Deansgate, Manchester

Timeline Icon

1995

Starvin' Marvin's

American Diner
Salford Quays, Manchester

Timeline Icon

1996

Via Vita

Mediterranean Restaurant and Bar

JW Johnson's & Starvin' Marvin's

Sold to Celebrated Restaurants Ltd

Life Restaurants

Set up by Tim Bacon, Jeremy Roberts, and Dave Hinds

Timeline Icon

1998

Via Vita

Sold to Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries PLC

Life Café

Opens in Liverpool and Manchester

Timeline Icon

1999

Living Ventures

Tim Bacon and Jeremy Roberts set up Living Ventures

The Living Room

Brand is created and launched in Deansgate, Manchester

Timeline Icon

2000

Life Café

Sold to Whitbread PLC

Timeline Icon

2003

Prohibition Bar

Concept developed and opens in Leeds

Timeline Icon

2005

Living Ventures

The Sunday Times Top 100 names LV the fastest growing company in hospitality

Prohibition Bar

Sold to Ultimate Leisure plc for £2.75m

Est Est Est

Living Ventures acquire Est Est Est

TRG

Take 40% stake in Living Room

Timeline Icon

2007

The Living Room

Ultimate Leisure pays £28m to acquire the 13-strong The Living Room estate

Gusto

Est Est Est is re-branded to Gusto Restaurant and Bar

Timeline Icon

2010

Living Ventures Management

Tim Bacon and Jeremy Roberts set up Living Ventures Management for the development of new brands.

Living Ventures Management

Acquire 5 Heathcote sites and convert to Gusto and Blackhouse sites

The Alchemist

Concept is created and launched in Spinningfields, Manchester

Timeline Icon

2011

Australasia

Opens in Manchester

NWTC

New World Trading Company is created; the first pub, The Oast House, opens in November 2011 in Manchester. First Botanist Alderley Edge is acquired

Timeline Icon

2012

Living Ventures

LV comes 28th in The Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For survey

Timeline Icon

2013

Living Ventures

LV comes 9th in The Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For survey

NWTC

Hill Capital and LDC invests £2.7m in NWTC

Timeline Icon

2014

GUSTO

Palatine Private Equity takes a 65% stake in Gusto

Timeline Icon

2015

The Alchemist

Palatine Private Equity invests £12m in The Alchemist for 60% stake

Timeline Icon

2016

NWTC

Graphite Capital acquires NWTC for £55m

Timeline Icon

2018

Grand Pacific

Opens in Manchester

Timeline Icon

2024

Australasia and Grand Pacific

Sold and Living Ventures Management Services launched.

The Tim Bacon Foundation

The Tim Bacon Foundation is a Registered Charity (No. 1173108) and was established in Tim's name to recognise his achievements, continue his legacy and to echo his legendary spirit of generosity.

Tim was always vibrant, forever inspiring and generous of mind and spirit. The businesses he led and worked in changed the face of Manchester's restaurant scene and he left his unique mark on friends, employees and customers alike.

Following his passing in April 2016, the Foundation was formed by his friend and business partner Jeremy Roberts to ensure that Tim's inspiring journey was not forgotten and the example he set as he lived well with cancer, is celebrated.

Read More
Contact Us
Contact Us

We can help your business grow

Whether your business is at start-up stage or has been trading for a while and is ready for the next step, Living Ventures can help you achieve your growth ambitions.

Contact Us

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn more.

Accept & Close
>>