Latest news with #closures
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Italian chain to shut 6 UK restaurants
A popular UK restaurant chain known for its Italian food has revealed plans to shut some of its venues after a change of ownership. Gusto Italian announced on Wednesday it will close six of its 13 restaurants after being snapped up by a private equity firm. The chain has been reportedly on the verge of collapse for weeks amid efforts to find a buyer as part of an insolvency agreement. Most of the Italian restaurant chain, which has sites in locations such as Cheshire and Greater Manchester, has this week been acquired by Cherry Equity Partners, which owns Latin American restaurant concept Cabana. The transaction is being undertaken via a pre-pack administration process. A pre-pack administration is an insolvency process for a business to sell its assets before appointing administrators. As a result of the deal, Gusto Italian restaurants in Alderley Edge, Cookridge, Edinburgh, Heswall, Leeds and Newcastle will be closing. The closures are set to result in approximately 190 job losses. Seven of the chain's restaurants will remain open. The location of Gusto Italian chains to remain open are: Liverpool, Birmingham, Cheadle, Knutsford, Manchester, Nottingham and Oxford. Around 300 jobs have been saved. Founded in Cheshire in 2005 by Jeremy Roberts and the late Tim Bacon as a rebrand of Est Est Est, Gusto Italian was previously been named Italian Restaurant of the Year at the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association's PAPA Industry Awards. Paul Moran, chief executive of Gusto Restaurants, said in a statement: 'This investment marks an important step forward for Gusto, ensuring the future of the business and putting in place a strong and stable platform upon which we can start to grow the business again. 'We are profoundly sorry to see six of our restaurants close and are tremendously grateful for the support of our staff and our loyal customers at these locations over the years.' Ed Standring, chief executive and operating partner of Cherry Equity Partners, said: 'This investment marks our third acquisition in six months, and underscores our deep commitment to the UK hospitality sector. 'This is an industry we're incredibly passionate about and one we believe is full of opportunity.' Jamie Barber, chairman and founding partner of Cherry Equity Partners, added: 'Gusto is a well-loved brand with a great heritage, and we're looking forward to working with Paul and the team to invest and grow the business.' The transaction is being led by Will Wright and Rick Harrison from Interpath who are expected to be appointed joint administrators to Gusto Restaurants Limited. Hospitality woes The hospitality sector has been battling against surging bills and costs, including higher wages, energy bills and employer national insurance contributions. Thai restaurant chain Busaba Eathai was forced to draft in administrators last week and Oakman Inns & Restaurants recently said it would close six sites and transfer a further 12 as part of its administration process.
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Popular Italian restaurant chain shuts venues - is YOUR local on the list?
A popular UK restaurant chain known for its Italian food has revealed plans to shut some of its venues after a change of ownership. Gusto Italian announced on Wednesday it will close six of its 13 restaurants after being snapped up by a private equity firm. The chain has been reportedly on the verge of collapse for weeks amid efforts to find a buyer as part of an insolvency agreement. Most of the Italian restaurant chain, which has sites in locations such as Cheshire and Greater Manchester, has this week been acquired by Cherry Equity Partners, which owns Latin American restaurant concept Cabana. The transaction is being undertaken via a pre-pack administration process. A pre-pack administration is an insolvency process for a business to sell its assets before appointing administrators. As a result of the deal, Gusto Italian restaurants in Alderley Edge, Cookridge, Edinburgh, Heswall, Leeds and Newcastle will be closing. The closures are set to result in approximately 190 job losses. Seven of the chain's restaurants will remain open. The location of Gusto Italian chains to remain open are: Liverpool, Birmingham, Cheadle, Knutsford, Manchester, Nottingham and Oxford. Around 300 jobs have been saved. Founded in Cheshire in 2005 by Jeremy Roberts and the late Tim Bacon as a rebrand of Est Est Est, Gusto Italian was previously been named Italian Restaurant of the Year at the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association's PAPA Industry Awards. Paul Moran, chief executive of Gusto Restaurants, said in a statement: 'This investment marks an important step forward for Gusto, ensuring the future of the business and putting in place a strong and stable platform upon which we can start to grow the business again. 'We are profoundly sorry to see six of our restaurants close and are tremendously grateful for the support of our staff and our loyal customers at these locations over the years.' Ed Standring, chief executive and operating partner of Cherry Equity Partners, said: 'This investment marks our third acquisition in six months, and underscores our deep commitment to the UK hospitality sector. 'This is an industry we're incredibly passionate about and one we believe is full of opportunity.' Jamie Barber, chairman and founding partner of Cherry Equity Partners, added: 'Gusto is a well-loved brand with a great heritage, and we're looking forward to working with Paul and the team to invest and grow the business.' The transaction is being led by Will Wright and Rick Harrison from Interpath who are expected to be appointed joint administrators to Gusto Restaurants Limited. Hospitality woes The hospitality sector has been battling against surging bills and costs, including higher wages, energy bills and employer national insurance contributions. Thai restaurant chain Busaba Eathai was forced to draft in administrators last week and Oakman Inns & Restaurants recently said it would close six sites and transfer a further 12 as part of its administration process. Last week, craft beer firm Brewdog announced plans to close 10 bars across Britain, including its flagship pub in Aberdeen. The bars earmarked for closure are in Aberdeen, Dundee, Leeds, Brighton, Oxford, Sheffield, York and three in London. A spokesperson for Brewdog last week said the 'difficult decision' had been taken as a result of 'ongoing industry challenges.' They added these included 'rising costs, increased regulation, and economic pressures.'
The Sun
20 hours ago
- The Sun
Busy UK railway line where 650 trains pass every day is shutting for a WEEK for £10million revamp – check dates to avoid
A MAJOR railway line which sees 650 trains pass through every day, is set to close for an entire week. The closure is taking place due to planned engineering works, with commuters able to take replacement buses instead. 1 Southeastern and Thameslink passengers will be affected by the closure, which will take place in the Dartford area. Trains will not be running between Gravesend, Dartford, Slade Green, Barnehurst and Crayford during the February half term in 2026, which runs from Saturday, February 14, to Sunday, February 22. There will also be no Thameslink service between Plumstead and Gravesend, and an hourly Thameslink shuttle service will run between Gravesend and Rainham. Additionally, all Southeastern Metro routes which pass through Dartford will be subject to change. Highspeed services to and from London, St Pancras via Gravesend will continue to operate, however, passengers have been warned that reductions have been planned for peak-time services, particularly affecting the Hayes and Sidcup lines, with minor impacts on the Bexleyheath, Greenwich, and North Kent lines. Lewisham, St Johns, New Cross, and London terminals will also be affected by service reductions. There will also be rail replacement buses serving Gravesend, Dartford, Slade Green, Barnehurst and Crayford on Saturday, February 8, Sunday, February 9, Sunday, March 1 and Sunday, April 5 for preparation works. The planned work will include the renewal of 10 switches and crossings that allow trains to change tracks. It will also include the installation of 400 yards of new rail, and the conductor rail that powers trains between Slade Green and Dartford. There will also be platform adjustments at Dartford station, such as reducing the stepping distance between platforms and trains to improve safety. Picturesque English town is getting new £27m train line for first time in 60 years – & will cut journey times by an hour The work is set to cost £10 million, and is set to improve the reliability of the Dartford Junction railway. Network Rail said that more information on alternative travel will be provided in the autumn. David Davidson, chief operating officer for Southeastern Railway, said: 'The work at Dartford Junction, where 650 trains pass every day, is a vital investment in the long-term resilience and efficiency at one of the busiest sections on the South Eastern Railway network. 'We know there's never a good time to do work like this, but we've deliberately chosen the half- term to minimise disruption, when schools are on holiday and fewer people are commuting. "To make the most of the time available, we'll also carry out additional improvement work at Dartford station. 'We understand this closure will significantly impact travel, and we're working hard to ensure passengers are fully informed about its impact and the alternative travel arrangements available.' Your rights to compensation for train delays YOU may be able to get compensation for train journeys that have been delayed or cancelled. You'll usually need to apply as you won't get it automatically. Train companies have adopted "delay repay", a national scheme used to compensate you for unexpected delays. Passengers are entitled to compensation for a delay of 15 minutes or more. How much you get back depends on how long the delays are and the type of ticket you have. Compensation ranges from 25% of the ticket price to 100%. You'll get a full refund if your train was delayed by 120 minutes or longer. It doesn't matter which train company you are travelling with - the scheme is nationwide and all firms are part of it. But how you claim the money back will be up to each train company and you'll have to apply directly. You can usually do this online. You'll probably need a picture of your ticket and information about the train service you were on to claim. You can find each train line and how to claim at: If your train is delayed or cancelled and you choose not to travel, you can get a refund on the ticket from where you bought it and there are no fees.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Toilet charging may increase 'public fouling risk'
Public toilets in seaside resorts and other towns and villages could be closed or have an admission fee District Council says it wants to save about £250,000 a year by closing or charging at toilets in places like Dawlish, Shaldon and Teignmouth and in rural villages on council has given a rating to 20 public toilets with the lowest 13 to be closed or transferred to town and parish councils and the possibility of charging for entry for the seven highest rated.A report setting out the plans to be debated by councillors on Tuesday acknowledges closures could lead to " an increased risk of fouling in public spaces". The council's report also said it recognised a potential "impact on tourism and businesses" and that "a reduction in public convenience provision could deter visitors". Several petitions have been launched by campaigners who want to keep services open, gathering thousands of signatures between local authority said it was a "difficult" decision to "reduce any valued service" but the impact of closures or charging "must be balanced with the council's requirement to remain financially viable".A decision on whether or not to go ahead with the plans is expected to be made by members at a full council meeting on Tuesday. Petitions have been launched by campaigners who want to keep the blocks at those locations Connett, Lib Dem councillor for Exminster and Haldon at Devon County Council, set up a petition to save the public toilets in Starcross, which is in his said the number of petitions launched showed how important the facilities were to many."They may not use them every day or indeed every week but they like to know they are there," Connett said."I hope Teignbridge think again and abandon this plan."
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Beer Store closing locations in Morrisburg and Sharbot Lake this fall
A Beer Store location is seen in this undated photo. (The Beer Store) The Beer Store is closing its stores in Morrisburg and Sharbot Lake this fall, as the retailer continues to close outlets across Ontario. On Monday, the Beer Store announced 11 more locations will close on Sept. 28, including the location on Main Street in Morrisburg and on Highway 7 in Sharbot Lake. 'The Beer Store is adapting to changes in the retail market in Ontario. This is an ongoing process and includes making the difficult decision to close some retail locations. We know this is difficult for customers, employees and the communities where we operate,' Ozzie Ahmed, vice president of Retail at the Beer Store, said in a statement. 'As the Beer Store modernizes, we'll continue to be the best place for ice-cold beer, friendly customer service and a deposit return system that gets consumers their money back.' The Beer Store has announced the closure of dozens of places across Ontario this spring. Earlier this month, the Beer Store said its location on St. Laurent Boulevard in Ottawa will close on Sept. 14. The Glebe location closed on July 20 and its Manotick outlet will close in August.
