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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Feb- 2019 -6 FebruaryRestaurants
Victor Garvey’s Covent Garden restaurant Sabarita closes
Chef and restaurateur, Victor Garvey, has closed his Covent Garden restaurant, Sabarita, the chef’s Soho restaurant Rambla on Dean Street will remain open. According to Garvey the restaurant has been shut down since November, with Catering Today finding that Sabarita’s phone is no longer receiving calls despite the fact its…
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Jan- 2019 -17 JanuaryCafes and Coffee Shops
Patisserie Valerie financial woes worse than expected
Forensic accountants have uncovered “significant manipulation” within Patisserie Valerie’s accounts, suggesting its financial troubles are more extensive than first thought. The company said the work carried out by its forensic accountants since “potentially fraudulent” accounts were discovered in October has revealed that the “misstatement of its accounts was extensive, involving…
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15 JanuaryCafes and Coffee Shops
Patisserie Valerie director resigns with immediate effect
James Horler, the non-executive director of crisis hit cafe chain Patisserie Valerie, has resigned from his role with immediate effect. The company confirmed the news and said Horler had stepped down to “focus on his role as chief executive officer at another business”. He has extensive experience in the hospitality…
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9 JanuaryRestaurants
Wallfish & Wellbourne Bistro closes after two months
Wallfish & Wellbourne Bistro has announced its closure less than two months after being collaboratively launched by two independent restaurants in Bristol. The bistro opened on 14 November in the city’s Clifton Village area and saw the Wallfish Bistro come together with the Wellbourne restaurant. Wellbourne opened in August 2017…
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2 JanuaryBusiness
Award winning licensees to reopen and refurbish Oxfordshire pub as second site
Kate Hayden and Paul Warriner are taking their second site with Star Pubs & Bars – The Hare at West Hendred in Oxfordshire – for a joint £500,000 investment, which will reopen the pub in March after a four-year closure. The Hare is the only pub in West Hendred, and…
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Dec- 2018 -4 DecemberRestaurants
Simon Cope resigns as Byron CEO
Simon Cope has resigned from his position as the CEO of embattled burger restaurant chain Byron amid the company’s restructuring plan under a CVA. His termination document appeared on Companies House on 3 December, stating he resigned on 30 November, just 18 months after joining from Wagamama, initially as Byron’s…
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Nov- 2018 -30 NovemberBusiness
London’s Bonhams to close before Christmas
London’s Michelin-starred Bonhams restaurant has announced it is to close on 19 December. The restaurant has been open for over three years in the auction house of the same name, collecting its Michelin star in 2015. Head chefs, Theo Clench and Tom Kemble announced the restaurant’s closure on Instagram. Clench…
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23 NovemberRestaurants
First Meatliquor site to close
Meatliquor’s first site in Marylebone is to close in order to make way for a luxury hotel, the site was only originally intended to be in place for two years, however it is now being removed after seven. The restaurant is set to close at the end of February after…
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9 NovemberPubs and Bars
Historic pub demolition put on hold
The demolition of a 400-year-old pub to make way for affordable housing has been put on hold, after the proposed tower block was branded an eyesore. Ewloe’s Boar’s Head pub was due to be demolished following its closure in 2002, with property developers Pennaf Housing claiming they were meeting a…
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8 NovemberBeverages
Krombacher organises London pub walk to highlight pub closure crisis
Beer manufacturer, Krombacher has organised a London pub walk in order to highlight the pub closure crisis. A team of the manufacturers workers will walk 30 miles in order to cover 300 London pubs in 24 hours. The team will be fundraising for the Licenced Trade Charity, which helps those…
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