More than 70 restaurant branches across the UK are set to close as part of a restructuring plan by Azzurri Group, the owner of Ask Italian and Zizzi. The company announced in July 2020 that it would shut 75 restaurants for good, though the exact number of closures to date remains unclear. Azzurri operated 311 restaurants and shops in the UK at the time, along with three in the Republic of Ireland and one in Shanghai.
The Casual Dining Group, which owns Bella Italia, Las Iguanas and Café Rouge, also confirmed plans to close 91 restaurants in July 2020, putting 1,900 jobs at risk. The proposed closures included 35 Bella Italia, three Belgo, 32 Café Rouge, and 11 Las Iguanas sites, as well as several airport cafes and bars. The group was later bought by Epiris and rebranded as The Big Table.
Byron Burger entered administration in July 2020, leading to the immediate closure of 31 branches and 651 redundancies. The brand was sold to Calveton UK Limited, with Three Hills Capital Partners taking a minority stake. However, Byron has since announced the reopening of its flagship Covent Garden branch and plans for two new outlets in Wembley and Central St Giles.
The closures come amid a broader trend of high street retailers and restaurants struggling due to changing consumer habits and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Almost 10,000 licensed premises, including pubs, clubs and restaurants, closed permanently in 2020, while around 17,500 chain store outlets shut their doors.
