Julian Edward Metcalfe (born 14 December 1959) is a British entrepreneur and founder of food retailers

Itsu itsu (''いつ/itsu'' is Japanese for ''when'') is a British chain of East Asian-inspired fast food shops and restaurants and a grocery company.Moules, Jonathan"itsu founder nurtures a new generation", ''Financial Times'', London, 21 January ...

and

Metcalfe's Food Company Metcalfe's Food Company was a privately owned food business founded in 2009 by Julian Metcalfe, the founder of the sandwich chain, Pret A Manger, and Robert Jakobi. Metcalfe's Food Company sold products under two brands Metcalfes Skinny a ...

Early life

Metcalfe's mother was Alexa, the widow of

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)

; his paternal grandfather was

Edward Dudley Metcalfe Major (United Kingdom), Major Edward Dudley Metcalfe, (16 January 1887 – 18 November 1957) was a British British Indian Army, Indian Army officer and a close friend—aide-de-camp and equerry—of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, King ...

, an officer in the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

and a close friend and

equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

. One of his great-grandfathers was

George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), known as Lord Curzon (), was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, explorer and writer who served as Viceroy of India ...

, a

Governor-General of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the emperor o ...

, and a great-grandmother was the American heiress

Mary Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston Mary Victoria Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston, (née Leiter; 27 May 1870 – 18 July 1906), was an American heiress who married George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, George Curzon, the future Viceroy of India. In America Mary ...

. Metcalfe was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

in north-west London. He later attended the

Polytechnic of Central London The University of Westminster is a public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first polytechnic to open in London. The Polytechnic formally received a Royal charter in Au ...

, where he first met his later business partner, Sinclair Beecham.

Career

Metcalfe founded

Pret a Manger Pret a Manger (; French for "ready to eat") is a British multinational sandwich shop chain founded in London, England, in 1983. It is popularly referred to simply as Pret. As of January 2025, Pret had over 700 locations across 19 countries and ...

, the popular

sandwich shop A sandwich bar is a restaurant or take-away food shop that primarily sells sandwiches. Some sandwich bars also offer other types of fare, such as soups, grilled foods. and meals. Notable sandwich bars include Subway and Arby's Arby's is an ...

, with college friend Sinclair Beecham in 1986, after purchasing the name and assets from the original founder Jeffrey Hyman. In May 2018, Pret was bought for £1.5 billion, and Metcalfe's stake was valued at £75 million. Metcalfe founded

itsu itsu (''いつ/itsu'' is Japanese for ''when'') is a British chain of East Asian-inspired fast food shops and restaurants and a grocery company.Moules, Jonathan"itsu founder nurtures a new generation", ''Financial Times'', London, 21 January ...

in 1997. He currently owns 54% of the company. Metcalfe founded

in 2008. It sells Asian inspired food under the brand name

and a range of snack food under the brand name Metcalfe’s skinny. Metcalfe's skinny snack food

Metcalfe's Skinny Topcorn Metcalfe's Food Company was a privately owned food business founded in 2009 by Julian Metcalfe, the founder of the sandwich chain, Pret A Manger, and Robert Jakobi. Metcalfe's Food Company sold products under two brands Metcalfes Skinny and ...

is a popular brand of popcorn in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. In September 2016, Metcalfe sold his interests in Metcalfes Skinny in full to

Kettle Foods Kettle Foods, Inc. is an American manufacturer of potato chips, based in Salem, Oregon, United States, with a European and Middle East headquarters in Norwich, United Kingdom. As of 2006 they were the largest natural potato chip brand in the U.S. ...

owner

Snyder's-Lance Snyder's-Lance, Inc. is the second largest salty snack maker in the United States. It was formed by the 2010 merger of Lance Inc. and Snyder's of Hanover. The company is a subsidiary of The Campbell's Company (known before November 2024 as the ...

. According to the ''

Sunday Times Rich List The ''Sunday Times Rich List'' is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families resident in the United Kingdom ranked by net wealth. The list is updated annually in April and has been published as a magazine supplement by British national ...

'' in 2019, Metcalfe is worth £215 million, an increase of £51 million from 2018. Already a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE), he was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2014 Birthday Honours The 2014 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens ...

for services to the hospitality industry. In August 2024, Metcalfe was appointed as a non-executive director of

Knoops Chocolate Knoops, (pronounced "kuh-noops"), is a British chocolate café chain and retailer based in London, England. The business operates a chain of cafes known for its hand-crafted chocolate drinks. The chain was launched in 2013 and, as of January 2 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Metcalfe, Julian Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire 1959 births People educated at Harrow School 20th-century British businesspeople 21st-century British businesspeople Alumni of the Polytechnic of Central London