Nearly 1,300 hundred jobs are under threat including in Manchester after Jamie Oliver’s Italian brand of restaurants have been placed in administration.
The chain which first opened in 2008 and has a branch on Manchester’ King Street have been placed in the hands of KPMG
Mr Oliver said:
“I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected.
I would also like to thank all the customers who have enjoyed and supported us over the last decade, it’s been a real pleasure serving you.”
He added: “We launched Jamie’s Italian in 2008 with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining in the UK High Street, with great value and much higher quality ingredients, best-in-class animal welfare standards and an amazing team who shared my passion for great food and service. And we did exactly that.”
Benn Richards, Partner and Insolvency and Restructuring specialist at national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP commented:
“This is another high-street failure, this time affecting the food and beverages sector, following the likes of Carluccio’s and Gourmet Burger Kitchen which also entered into formal insolvency processes recently.
“The past 12 months has been an uncomfortable time for the high-street and the Jamie’s Italian brand is another high-profile casualty. It is likely that the administrators will be looking to sell part of the company’s assets, which may mean certain restaurants staying open. However, there is likely to be a significant number of restaurants closing, which will mean job-losses.”
