7 October 2024, 16:35
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Alamy
TGI Fridays will immediately close 35 of its restaurants as part of a rescue deal to save the chain.
The chain of family restaurants will remain on British high streets, but 1,000 employees have lost their jobs as the brand shuts 35 locations.
As part of the rescue deal, Breal Capital and Calveton UK have acquired 51 restaurants after the group’s previous operator fell into administration.
It means that nearly 2,400 jobs have been saved across the US-themed restaurant and cocktail bar.
But joint administrators at Teneo said 35 restaurants were not included in the sale and have been closed immediately, resulting in 1,012 redundancies.
Picture:
Alamy
Julie McEwan, chief executive of TGI Fridays UK, said: “The news today marks the start of a positive future for our business following a very challenging period for the casual dining sector as a whole.
“We are devastated for our colleagues who will be leaving TGIs and thank them for their loyalty and contribution during their time with us.
“We are doing everything possible to retain our team and support those impacted.”
Daniel Smith, senior managing director of Teneo, added the acquisition “preserves a significant proportion of jobs and will hopefully provide the business with the stability and support it needs to recover and grow”.
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Alamy
Trade union Unite said on X, formerly Twitter, that it had been hearing from members who had been “furiously contacting” the hospitality organisers in response to the immediate closures.
It reported that staff had been shut out of restaurants, with padlocks on the doors changed, or given no form of redundancy consultation, while others were invited to a video call with members of the head office with one hour’s notice.
Other workers said they had not been told whether or not they will be paid, according to the trade union.
Here are the 35 TGI Fridays locations to have been closed in the deal:
- Barnsley
- Birmingham Hagley Road
- Bracknell
- Brighton Marina
- Cabot Circus
- Cardiff Newport Road
- Cardiff St David’s
- Chelmsford
- Cheltenham
- Croydon
- Derby
- Durham
- Enfield
- Fort Kinnaird
- Gateshead
- Gloucester Quays
- Halifax
- Jersey
- Leeds Junction 27
- Leeds Wellington Bridge Street
- Leicester
- Lincoln
- Liverpool Speke
- Manchester Royal Exchange
- Newcastle Eldon Square
- Newport Friars Walk
- Northampton
- Prestwich
- Romford
- Sale
- Solihull
- Trinity Leeds
- Watford North
- West Quay