Jamie Oliver’s restaurant empire has fallen into administration, putting 1,300 jobs at risk.
The Jamie’s Italian chain, which closed its Bristol branch last year, has appointed KPMG to oversee the insolvency process, according to Sky News.
The Park Street restaurant was one of 12 UK branches to shut in 2018 in a bid to save the business.
But now it is being widely reported that Mr Oliver will close the remaining 23 eateries, which include Fifteen London and Barbecoa.
Jamie's Italian International Limited will continue to trade as normal and Fifteen Cornwall, which operates under a franchise, is also unaffected.
Mr Oliver told the Guardian: “I am deeply saddened by this outcome and would like to thank all of the staff and our suppliers who have put their hearts and souls into this business for over a decade. I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected.
“I would also like to thank all the customers who have enjoyed and supported us over the last decade, it’s been a real pleasure serving you.
“We launched Jamie’s Italian in 2008 with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining in the UK high street, with great value and much higher quality ingredients, best in class animal welfare standards and an amazing team who shared my passion for great food and service. And we did exactly that."
The television chef invest £13million of his own money into the business after running into financial difficulty last year, but it has not been enough to save the business in the long run.
Jamie’s Italian follows in the footsteps of Carluccio’s and Byron Burger, which have also disappeared from Bristol.
A spokesperson for the Jamie Oliver Group said: "The board of Jamie's Italian Limited has appointed Will Wright and Mark Orton of KPMG to put its UK-based restaurant business into administration.”
