Restaurateur Clinton Pugh is adding to his Cowley Road business empire by opening a new delicatessen and a furniture store.

Mr Pugh, who owns Kazbah, Cafe Coco and Cafe Tarifa, is opening the two new shops this week in Dawson Street, which links Cowley Road and St Clement’s.

The father-of-four is naming the delicatessen selling luxury Spanish food after his youngest daughter Rafaela, 15, a pupil at Oxford High School.

Speaking yesterday he said he was hoping to ‘bring even more life’ to Oxford’s most eclectic street.Oxford Mail:

Mr Pugh said: “Cowley Road is such a vibrant street, with an incredible mix of different restaurants - there’s nowhere else quite like it.

“This is a significant investment and what I’m trying to do is bring even more life to this part of Cowley Road. Dawson Street is closed to traffic at one end so we will be able to have tables outside the deli in the summer.

" I would love to put some trees in the middle of the street and turn it into a public square, so we can stage farmers’ markets and street fairs. There’s lot of positive energy in Cowley Road and I want to add to that.”

Oxford Mail:

Mr Pugh’s commitment to the Cowley Road began 27 years ago when he opened Cafe Coco.

Kazbah, on the site of a former petrol station, has now been open 18 years.

The deli will be run by Rafael Sanmacario Alcaraz, who is from southern Spain.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to opening - we will be selling the best-quality Spanish products.”

Mr Pugh added: “These shops will revitalise Dawson Street and I’ve got a third unit in the street which could open as a shop at a later date, possibly as a women’s boutique.”

Oxford Mail:

The deli will sell sandwiches, bread, cheese, charcuterie, olive oil, coffee and hot chocolate but there are no plans at the moment to serve tapas.

Coco Home, opposite, will sell interior furniture, jewellery, candles, accessories and lights.

While Mr Pugh said he was happy that Cowley Road had a ‘fantastic variety’ of restaurants serving dishes from around the globe, he said more could be done to encourage visitors.

He added: “I think double yellow lines in Cowley Road should be taken away – it should be much easier for people to park on the street in the evenings. There is a council car park in St Clement’s but I don’t think it’s very well advertised.”

Mr Pugh’s daughter, Florence, 23, has won praise for her acting skills. She took the lead role in the movie Lady Macbeth and also starred in the TV adaptation of The Little Drummer Girl.