Nader Haghighi, chief executive of café operator Parisa, has criticised large leisure groups for their "bland and pedestrian" approach to high street retailing. Speaking at a conference in Barcelona, Haghighi highlighted the need for a fresh approach to leisure retailing in cafés and bars. He said: "In Britain, there exists a strong entrepreneurial spirit among the small yet successful operators. "But as soon as one begins to show potential, it almost immediately finds itself subject of a takeover and suffers the indignity of having its identity compromised in pursuit of short-term profit." And he accused large operators of sacrificing originality in the name of market share and insisted that they put an end to the "monopolising trend" which is "turning our high streets into an endless chain of dull and lifeless outlets". Haghighi also announced Parisa will shortly be opening three new cafe bars in Hove, East Sussex; Chester and Weybridge, Surrey. {{NEWS }}