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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Entertainment
Hannah Baker

Bristol's Frankie & Benny's and Chiquito restaurants could be closed as owner plans to axe 42 branches

Bristol could be set to lose its Chiquito and Frankie & Benny's restaurants after the owner of the chains announced it is axing more branches.

The Restaurant Group is planning to shut 42 sites across the UK - on top of the 76 Frankie & Benny's it has already earmarked for closure - after reporting heavy losses.

Bristol has Frankie & Benny's restaurants across the city, including at Cribbs Causeway, Abbey Wood, Hengrove, Cabot Circus, Yate, Weston-super-Mare, Longwell Green and at Bristol Airport.

Meanwhile, there are Chiquito branches in Longwell Green and at Cribbs Causeway.

The chains' owner, which bought Wagamama last year, posted an £87.7million pre-tax loss in the six months to June 30 - a significant fall from the £12.2million profit the group made in the previous year.

Frankie & Benny's is trialling the concept (East Kilbride News)

The Restaurant Group will not close the branches immediately, but will likely let leases run out at "unattractive" locations, according to Business Live.

Debbie Hewitt, non-executive chairman of The Restaurant Group, said: "We continue to focus on improving our brand offerings and delivering the best possible experience to our customers whilst optimising our leisure business to enhance the overall group performance.

"Prevailing feeling is that uncertainty is having an impact on consumer sentiment but we believe we have a sufficiently strong set of brands.

"Regarding Brexit, the supply of food and labour are the two issues we want clarity on and are working to ensure we are as prepared as possible."

Despite the fall in profits, like-for-like sales for the period rose by four per cent, driven by the acquisition of Wagamama in October 2018. The group also posted a 0.2 per cent rise in like-for-like sales in the past six weeks.

However, the growth was offset by a decline in other areas of the business, including the Frankie & Benny's and Chiquito brands.

The company's newly appointed chief executive Andy Hornsby added: "Despite the well documented challenges facing the casual dining sector, the group's diversified set of brands provides firm foundations."

It is not yet known which branches will be shut down.

For the latest news in and around Bristol, you can check back on Bristol Live's homepage.

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