Closure

In this section, we report on restaurant, pub, bar, café, and catering business closures across the UK, and the commercial, operational, and market factors behind them. From high-street exits and group-wide restructures to insolvencies, lease surrenders, and strategic site rationalisations, we cover the real-world impacts of rising costs, labour shortages, shifting demand, and margin pressures. We go beyond headlines to explain why closures are happening and what they mean for the wider sector. Whether you’re benchmarking performance or navigating tough decisions, we provide the context hospitality professionals need to stay informed.

Mar- 2020 -

9 March

Pubs and Bars

Pub, bar and restaurant closures reach lowest rate since 2018

The number of restaurants, pubs and bars across Britain fell by only 1.8% in the 12 months to December 2019, the lowest rate of year-on-year decline for almost two years. According to the latest Market Growth Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners, Britain had a total of 116,203 licensed premises at…
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3 March

Business Bites

Coronavirus is stepping up a gear – this could be serious

When I started this column back in December I did not anticipate a single subject would dominate it so much, but as I wrote last week it would be silly not to address the latest coronavirus circumstances given that each new development so far has had a profound impact on…
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3 March

Restaurants

Neon Jamon Smithdown closes after seven years

South Liverpool-based restaurant Neon Jamon has officially closed its doors after seven years. The restaurant, which opened in 2013 serving Catalan-inspired food, closed its doors on 29 February and confirmed its closure on Facebook. The statement said: “Well it’s come to our last day trading as Neon Jamon Smithdown and…
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Feb- 2020 -

27 February

Restaurants

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall announces closure of Bristol restaurant

Celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has confirmed he is to close his River Cottage restaurant in Bristol after seven years of trading. Fearnley-Whittingstall said the decision was “extremely difficult” but attributed it to “rising costs and challenging market conditions”, as well as the size and location of the site adding it…
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26 February

Restaurants

The Restaurant Group to close 90 restaurants by 2021

The parent company of Wagamama and Frankie and Benny’s, The Restaurant Group, has announced it is to close up to 90 restaurant sites by the end of next year. The group said the closure will affect its ‘leisure portfolio’, which includes the Chiquito and Frankie and Benny’s sites, and follows…
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24 February

Restaurants

The Restaurant Group expected to announce further closures this week

The Restaurant Group (TRG) is expected to announce further site closures later this week when it provides a trading update. According to the Mail On Sunday, TRG is preparing to close a number of its underperforming sites with many believed to be located at retail parks. It has also been…
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20 February

Restaurants

Michael Caines’ The Coach House forced to close due to ‘structural fault’

The three-AA restaurant The Coach House by Michael Caines has been forced to close indefinitely after a “major infrastructure fault” was found at the hotel in which it is located. The grade II – listed Kentisbury Grange hotel announced the closure on its social media this morning. It said: “We…
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10 February

Comment

From market stalls to brick walls: how pop-ups are riding the bricks-and-mortar wave

Ka Pao With a name and menu that packs a punch, Ka Pao is Glasgow’s latest permanent resident. The new restaurant and bar features the same team who opened rustic Glaswegian site Ox and Finch back in 2014, a restaurant that has garnered much critical acclaim in the city. The…
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7 February

Restaurants

Latino Restaurant ceases trading after 18 years

The Latino Restaurant, located on Chilwell Road in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, has closed its doors 18 years after first opening. According to Nottinghamshire Live, 19 months of tram works, which closed Chilwell Road, increased “competition from new restaurants opening in the area”. The restaurant announced the closure on Facebook and said:…
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5 February

Restaurants

Hoppers announces opening date of King’s Cross site

Sri Lankan and Southern Indian inspired restaurant, Hoppers, has announced its new King[s Cross restaurant is to open on 11 February. The opening of the new site takes the portfolio of Hoppers restaurants to three sites in the UK, which includes Soho and St Christophers Place. The menu will feature…
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