Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s UK restaurant group has called in the administrators, resulting in the immediate closure of 22 restaurants.
The company’s 25 outlets comprised 22 Jamie’s Italian restaurants in the UK, as well as Barbecoa and Fifteen sites in London, and a Jamie Oliver’s Diner at Gatwick Airport.
It has appointed KPMG to oversee the process. Both Jamie’s Italian restaurants and Jamie Oliver’s Diner at Gatwick Airport will continue to trade in the short term, while the administrators explore options for the sites.
The 22 closures will result in around 1,000 redundancies.
Oliver said: “I am deeply saddened by this outcome and would like to thank all of the people who have put their hearts and souls into this business over the years.”
KPMG said the group had recently undertaken a process to secure additional investment into the business and that Oliver had made available additional funds of £4m to support the fundraising. However, there was “no suitable investment forthcoming”.
Will Wright, partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said: “The current trading environment for companies across the casual dining sector is as tough as I’ve ever seen.
“The directors at Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group have worked tirelessly to stabilise the business against a backdrop of rising costs and brittle consumer confidence. However, after a sales process which sought to bring new investment into the business proved unsuccessful, the team took the incredibly difficult decision to appoint administrators.
“Unfortunately, with insufficient funds available to be able to trade the business in administration, all but the Gatwick airport restaurants have now closed. Our priority in the coming hours and days is to work with those employees who have been made redundant, providing any support and assistance they need.”
The international restaurants trading as Jamie’s Italian, Jamie’s Pizzeria and Jamie’s Deli will not be affected by the process.
In 2018, the business closed 12 of its 37 Jamie’s Italian sites as part of a rescue plan.
The full list of restaurant locations:
Birmingham: Jamie’s Italian
Brighton: Jamie’s Italian
Cambridge: Jamie’s Italian
Cardiff: Jamie’s Italian
Edinburgh: Jamie’s Italian
Glasgow: Jamie’s Italian
Guildford: Jamie’s Italian
Leeds: Jamie’s Italian
Liverpool: Jamie Oliver’s Italian
London – Islington: Jamie’s Italian
London – Covent Garden: Jamie Oliver’s Italian
London – Gatwick North: Jamie’s Italian Coffee Lounge
London – Gatwick North: Jamie’s Italian
London – Gatwick South: Jamie Oliver’s Diner
London – London Bridge: Jamie’s Italian
London – Piccadilly: Jamie’s Italian
London – Victoria: Jamie’s Italian
London – Westfield White City: Jamie’s Italian
London – Westfield Stratford: Jamie’s Italian
London – One New Change: Barbecoa
London: Fifteen
Manchester: Jamie’s Italian
Nottingham: Jamie’s Italian
Oxford: Jamie’s Italian
York: Jamie’s Italian
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