Julian Metcalfe

Julian Edward Metcalfe (born 14 December 1959) is a British entrepreneur and founder of food retailers Itsu and Metcalfe's Food Company.

Early life Metcalfe's mother was Alexa, the widow of Alexander Korda; his paternal grandfather was Edward Dudley Metcalfe, an officer in the British Indian Army and a close friend and equerry of Edward VIII. One of his great-grandfathers was George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, a Governor-General of India, and a great-grandmother was the American heiress Mary Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston.

Metcalfe was educated at Harrow School in north-west London. He later attended the Polytechnic of Central London, where he first met his later business partner, Sinclair Beecham.

Career Metcalfe founded Pret a Manger, the popular sandwich shop, 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 in 1997. He currently owns 54% of the company.

In September 2016, Metcalfe sold his interests in Metcalfes Skinny in full to Kettle Foods owner Snyder's-Lance.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, Metcalfe is worth £215 million, an increase of £51 million from 2018.

In August 2024, Metcalfe was appointed as a non-executive director of Knoops Chocolate.