Carluccio's to see more than a thousand redundancies despite rescue deal

A UK restaurant chain has been bought in a deal which will save 800 jobs - but will still result in more than a thousand redundancies.

Carluccio’s, founded in London, has been bought by Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG), which owns chains Giraffe and Ed’s Easy Diner.

The company had gone into administration following struggles during lockdown, resulting in the planned closure of 70 restaurants across the UK.

The acquisition by BRG will save 30 of Carluccio’s restaurants, securing 800 jobs, but administrator FRP Advisory said that the closure of the remaining 40 sites will result in 1,019 redundancies.

Phil Reynolds, joint administrator and partner at FRP, commented: “The COVID-19 lockdown has put incredible pressure on businesses across the leisure sector, so it has been important to work as quickly and as decisively as possible in an extremely challenging business environment to secure a sale.

“It ensures the future of the Carluccio’s brand in the UK casual dining scene, retains a significant network of sites across the country and, critically, transfers a considerable number of jobs.”

Satnam Leihal, managing director of BRG, added: “We welcome Carluccio’s colleagues to BRG.

“This acquisition is in line with our strategy to grow our restaurant group with quality brands.

“Whilst it is an extremely challenging time for the sector, we believe quality hospitality businesses will recover in the long term as people return to eating out.”

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