A MAJOR burger chain has fallen into administration and is set to close nine restaurants immediately.
The owners of Byron burger has said the closures will result in the loss of 218 jobs.
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The Family Proper Limited company, which owns Byron and Mother Clucker, had been trying to find a buyer to save the business.
But today, it said that it had appointed administrators from Interpath Advisory.
However, it does not mean that all the restaurants will close.
Immediately, the business was sold to a new company Tristar Foods Limited.
It means 12 restaurants can continue to stay open, saving 365 jobs.
Claire Winder, managing director at Interpath Advisory and joint administrator, said: “Like many other companies across the hospitality sector, Byron had seen a boost in trading following the end of the COVID lockdown measures.
“However, the sky-high inflation seen in 2022 saw costs spiral and resulted in reduced customer spend, which in turn placed significant cashflow pressure on the business.
“We are pleased to have concluded this transaction which will see the Bryon name continue to trade on high streets across the country and which, importantly, has preserved a significant number of jobs.”
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Here’s the full list of branches closing immediately:
- Bluewater
- Chelmsford
- Edinburgh Lothian Road
- Leeds
- London – Wembley
- Manchester
- Milton Keynes
- Salisbury
- Southampton
The chain, which was founded in 2007, first collapsed back in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic.
It hired administrators in the summer of 2020.
It was sold to Calveton, a private investment firm – but only 21 of Byron’s 51 branches stayed open.
The move also saw over 600 jobs axed.
Further popular chains including Las Iguanas, Cafe Rouge and Bella Italia also fell victim to the pandemic.
The ASK Italian and Zizzi owner Azzurri Group also closed 75 of its restaurants with 1,200 job losses after collapsing into insolvency.
In December 2022, pub chain Wetherspoons announced it would be closing a total of 39 pubs after being hit by soaring inflation.
The Sun contacted Calveton for comment.
Your rights in redundancy
Companies can choose to cut their workforce and employees should understand their rights.
You are entitled to statutory redundancy pay, but only if you have worked at your job for two years or more.
The statutory rate is based on your age, weekly pay and number of years in the job.
You will get:
- Half a week’s pay for each full year you worked aged under 22
- One week’s pay for each full year you worked aged 22 or older, but under 41
- One and half week’s pay for each full year you worked while aged 41 or older.
But it’s capped at 20 years and the max redundancy pay you can get is currently £16,320.
Some companies may offer to pay more than the statutory amount. This will usually be in your contract.
Plus, you are still entitled to any pay you are owed for untaken holiday days at the end of your notice period.
The government has a calculator on its website to help you work out how much you are owed.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
