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.
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Aug- 2019 -5 AugustRestaurants
Spudulike closes all 37 stores
Restaurant chain Spudulike has officially shut down after over 40 years of trading with immediate effect. The closure was confirmed today (5 August) by accounting Firm Leonard Curtis, with all 37 retail stores and its head office close on 2 August, 298 employees have been made redundant. The company was…
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Jul- 2019 -29 JulyAdvice
How to keep ahead of the competition with flexible funding
Our most recent data tells us that there has been a 100% increase in the use of merchant cash advances by independent restaurants so far in 2019. This is purely due to restaurants and pubs striving to keep ahead of the competition and grow their businesses while many chain restaurants…
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Jun- 2019 -26 JuneNews
Levi Roots closes restaurant
Entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den winner Levi Roots announced that his restaurant Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse in Westfield Stratford, London closed yesterday (Tuesday 25 June). Roots took to Twitter to announce the closure, as he said: “SO SORRY! Unfortunately I have to announce my restaurant @levismokehouse is closing today! most dreadful…
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24 JuneRestaurants
Pod sold to ASK Italian owner in pre-pack administration
Pod Food Limited has been sold to Azzurri Group, owner of the ASK Italian, Zizzi, Coco di Mama and Radio Alice brands. The sale was via a pre-pack administration after Damian Webb and Allan Kelly of RSM Restructuring Advisory LLP were appointed administrators of Pod Food Limited on the 21…
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19 JunePubs and Bars
More than a Pub relaunches with £2.2m funding
Community support trust, the Plunkett foundation has relaunched the More than a Pub programme, a new round of support and finance that will help community groups across England looking to take ownership of their local pub. Run by lottery-funded trust Power to Change, and delivered by Plunkett, the programme builds…
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14 JuneBusiness
Jamie Oliver’s Gatwick outlets saved from closure
The joint administrators of Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group Limited, Will Wright and Mark Orton from KPMG, announced that they have reached an agreement with SSP Group to take over the operations of the three Jamie Oliver eateries which continue to trade at Gatwick Airport. SSP Group, an operator of food…
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5 JuneAdvice
Living the dream?
I always dreamed of running a pub, greeting the regulars with a smile, a quip and their favourite tipple. After more than 30 years of handling debt recovery work for the licensed trade, I can see that the reality is very different. It is not an easy life. For many,…
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May- 2019 -9 MayRestaurants
Art deco building transformed into new restaurant
An art deco building in Somerset, previously used for entertainment and leisure, has been transformed into a new restaurant named Pillars Bar and Grill. Entrepreneur Kevin Newton and his restoration team have used the style of the “Great Gatsby era” for the new restaurant on Leigh Road. The building opened…
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8 MayRestaurants
Man alleged to run restaurant from house refuses to remove sign
The owner of a house in Norwich who was told by Norwich City Council to remove a restaurant sign in February has still not done so as he has applied for permission to keep it. Norwich council inspected the premises owned by Orlando Williams in February after it was alleged…
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Mar- 2019 -21 MarchRestaurants
French restaurant Abondance closes after 12 years
London-based French restaurant, Abondance has closed after 12 years in operation in the Primrose Hill area. The restaurant formerly known as Androuet before a 2018 rebrand has blamed “basic cost increases, lower sterling value, and staff recruitment difficulties” on its closure. Restaurant owners Alex and Leo Guarneri had announced that…
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