16 Hospitality falls into administration
Sarah O’Toole and Jason Bell of the Manchester office of Grant Thornton UK LLP have been appointed joint administrators, which took effect earlier this month on 9 April.
The group’s estate consists of four pubs in total: two in Cheshire, and two in Anglesey.
In Cheshire it owns The Partridge in Stretton; and The Old Hall Hotel in Frodsham. While in Anglesey it operates The White Eagle in Rhoscolyn; and The Oyster Catcher in Rhosneigr.
All four sites are currently closed due to the restrictions put in place by the Government as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, with the majority of the group’s workforce having been furloughed.
Commenting on the situation, O’Toole says that she’s hopeful they can find a buyer for the businesses, despite the current challenges facing the pub and hospitality sector.
The ongoing Coronavirus crisis has already seen a significant share of casualties within the industry.
Last month, Carluccio’s entered administration with its directors saying a sustained period of challenging trading, which had been exacerbated by the Coronavirus outbreak, meant the chain was "unable to meet its financial obligations as they were due”.
The majority of its 2,000 staff have been furloughed and will be paid under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme while administrators from FRP assess the group’s options.
Meanwhile, earlier this month Mark Hix’s restaurant businesses also called in administrators, with the chef restaurateur’s parent organisation WSH & Mark Hix Restaurants; Restaurants etc; and Hix Townhouse all filing.
In a statement, Hix said that the decision to appoint administrators was done without his support, and has resulted in his staff being made redundant without being able to be put on furlough.
Last week it was reported that bakery chain Le Pain Quotidien is also on brink of collapse, with 500 jobs at risk.
It was said the company’s Belgium owners had until last Wednesday (22 April) to find a buyer for its UK operation. However, there is yet to be confirmation as to whether they were successful in doing so.
