BOPARAN RESTAURANT GROUP (BRG) has expanded its portfolio with the purchase of almost half of the sites from the Carluccio’s chain.
BRG acquired 30 of the 71 sites in a transaction that will see more than 800 jobs saved. The remaining locations will be closed, and staff made redundant.
The late chef Antonio Carluccio founded Carluccio’s in 1999, and for the past decade has been owned by retail and hospitality conglomerate Landmark Group.
It expands the BRG’s existing range of high-street restaurant brands that include Cinnamon, Fishworks, Slim Chickens, Giraffe and Ed’s Easy Diner.
FRP Advisory was appointed joint administrators on 30 March this year.
The firm’s Phil Reynolds: said: “The COVID-19 lockdown has put incredible pressure on businesses across the leisure sector, so it has been important to work as quickly and as decisively as possible in an extremely challenging business environment to secure a sale, which ensures the future of the Carluccio’s brand in the UK casual dining scene, retains a significant network of sites across the country and, critically, transfers a considerable number of jobs.
“We wish the team all the best as part of the Boparan Restaurant Group.”
Satnam Leihal, Managing Director of BRG added: “We welcome Carluccio’s colleagues to BRG.
“This acquisition is in line with our strategy to grow our restaurant group with quality brands. Whilst it is an extremely challenging time for the sector, we believe quality hospitality businesses will recover in the long term as people return to eating out.”