'Sorry' says beloved food chain as he tells customers it will 'sadly close'

A family favorite food chain has closed another branch.

Prezzo, the Italian restaurant chain, had announced last year that it would close dozens of branches, but it appears that they have now been forced to close even more.

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The Islington branch closed without much fanfare, informing former customers of the closure in a short message.

It read: “Sorry, Prezzo Islington is closed.”

The message then very briefly reiterated to their customers that the branch is now “sadly” closed.

Before adding: “However, we have six other locations in London so you can still experience the joy of Italian dining here at Prezzo.

“We hope to see you soon in one of our other beautiful restaurants.”

Prezzo could not be reached for comment.

In April 2023, Prezzo announced they would be closing 46 branches after being hit hard by rising costs following the pandemic.

The Islington branch was not among the dozens they planned to close, including Chichester, Tunbridge Wells, Oxford and Plymouth restaurants.

At the time, an estimated 810 employees were thought to be at risk of redundancy, although it is unclear exactly what that number is.

Dean Challenger, CEO of Prezzo, said: “The last three years have been some of the toughest times I have ever seen for the high street and I am extremely proud of the way our colleagues have maintained Prezzo's position as an attractive, reliable business. , great food and drink experience.

“We believe the difficult decisions we make today will ensure Prezzo can continue to provide communities with high-quality, accessible, Italian-inspired meals for years to come.”

Prezzo fell under administration at the end of 2020 after the severe consequences of the pandemic.

It was then picked up by current private equity owner Cain International.

Their initial closure plan, unveiled last year, comes just two years after the group previously closed 22 restaurants and cut 216 jobs.

And a few years before that, Prezzo was forced to close 94 stores and cut as many as 500 jobs.

Several major retailers, including Boots and Costa, have now announced that they will also close some stores this month.

Boots will close 300 stores over the next year, starting with the closure of their branch in Hough Lane, Leyland a few days ago.

The store on Wood Street in Swindon will close for the final time on Friday, February 9. Their store in Clifton, York will close on Saturday 17th February.

Infamous coffee chain Costa has closed a dozen locations in the past year and will close their Chiswick High Road branch on February 6.

They will also close their Edinburgh branch, Bruntsfield Place, on February 14.

Food and beverage chains in general have suffered in recent months as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending money on eating out.

Businesses struggled to recover after the pandemic but were hit by rising energy bills and inflation.

All retailers will close their stores in February

Boots will close 300 stores in the coming year.

The pharmacy chain closed its branch in Hough Lane, Leyland, on February 2.

The store on Wood Street in Swindon will close for the final time on Friday, February 9.

Boots in Clifton, York will be closed on Saturday 17th February.

Fenwick's iconic Bond Street store opened its doors today, February 3.

The Lidl store in Paignton, Devon, is set to close next month after 25 years.

The store in the Victoria Center will close for good tomorrow, February 4, after much speculation about its future.

Lidl's Thornaby store in Stockton-on-Tees will close on February 29.

Costa's Chiswick High Road store will close on February 6.

The coffee chain has closed ten branches in the past year.

WHSmith's store on Union Street, in central Aberdeen, will close its shutters on February 17.

The outdoor sports retailer is closing its only store in Belfast this month.

Aldi on Halbeath Road, Dunfermline plans to close its doors on Sunday February 18 to allow for renovation work.

The renovation is expected to take at least three months.

The branch of Jack Wills in central Worcester will close for the final time this month.

Matalan in The Core Shopping Center on The Headrow closes on February 24.

According to local news reports, the closure is due to plans to demolish the mall.

Age UK will close the doors of its Furniture and More store on Dereham's Yaxham Road for good in February.

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