A RESTAURANT chain has offically closed every branch in the UK – including two in Worcestershire.
All Beefeater restaurants permanently closed across the UK, including in Evesham and Redditch, yesterday (September 10).
Parent company, Whitbread, announced in April that it would be closing all Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites as part of a major restructure.
Around 3,800 jobs have been lost in the move; however, Whitbread did say it would try to retain as many jobs as possible.
In total, nearly 200 restaurants have been closed across the UK, with Whitbread saying it would sell and lease back many of its freehold properties.
Dominic Paul, Whitbread’s chief executive, previously said: “We always challenge ourselves to improve and, in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and national insurance, as well as the implied market discount to our inherent value, we’ve looked hard at the options open to us to maximise value creation over the medium and long-term.
“This has been a rigorous process, and we’ve approached all options with an open mind.
“Our new five-year plan builds on our strengths and drives a significant acceleration of our strategy.
“This plan will transform Whitbread into a higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business.
“We’re going to go further and faster to deliver a great experience for our guests and high-quality growth and returns for our shareholders.”
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Why have all Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants closed?
The restructure is part of Whitbread’s new five-year growth strategy, which aims to re-focus the business and reduce costs by £250 million.
This includes a shift towards an integrated food and drink model that the company believes is more efficient and better suited to Premier Inn guests.