Logo

Navigation
  • Home
  • Distressed Businesses
  • Search
  • Subscribe

Bella Italia Administration Risks Mount

By Peter Adams | on 22nd May 2020 | 0 Comment
News
Administration risk for Bella Italia

Bella Italia has published a Notice of Intention to appoint administrators.

The chain was one of the high street’s most prominent places to eat, serving classic Italian cuisine at a time when credit was easy and demand was high. As lockdown reaches its second month in the UK, Bella Italia is now set to become yet another victim, with the chain on the brink of complete collapse.

The restaurant sector has been one of the hardest hit by the continuing lockdown first implemented in March 2020, in order to halt the spread of COVID-19. Owned by the Casual Dining Group (CDG), which also holds Café Rouge and Las Iguanas, Bella Italia has a total of over 90 restaurants.

As consumers spend more time indoors with interest and availability of takeaway food limited, Bella Italia is another high-profile chain which will require a helping hand to keep it from vanishing altogether

Curtains for another chain?

The CDG issued a Notice of Intention, published on its own website, detailing its plans to work in concert with is advisors, as they plan out the next steps for Bella Italia, alongside Las Iguanas and Café Rouge, whose futures are also in doubt.

Bella Italia’s owners expressed a belief that the current situation is “very much business as usual”, before adding that the CDG looked forward to finally being able to reopen its restaurants. Unfortunately for many chains, time is no ally, and the longer lockdown goes on for, the less likely they are to survive without outside assistance.

The plight of Bella Italia follows on from the pre-existing trend of fewer chains in operation. Jaimie’s Italian famously disappeared from the UK high street altogether in 2019, having amassed high levels of debt, with menus judged to be uncompetitively priced relative to rival chains. High business rates could be a factor which has already been pushing some restaurants out of business, but lockdown could simply by the final straw for some.

Hope for Bella Italia

Bella Italia has faced a rollercoaster ride over the years, with controversy erupting in 2009 over the way the chain handled tips for waiting staff. In addition, the chain initially faced criticism for a lack of sustainable sourcing of seafood. However, by 2017, Bella Italia bounced back, changing its practices, ensuring that it ranked second in Fish2Fork’s guide on fish sourcing.

Bella Italia flourished as a name on the high street, at a time when it was cheaper for chains to set up business with low interest rates and easy access to the credit needed. If Bella Italia is to make a recovery following the lockdown, the level of business rates is sure to be a factor determining its fortunes for the coming years.

If you would like to receive contact details administrators handling collapses like this, subscribe to Administration List today.

Share this story:
  • tweet

Tags: administratorsbella italiacasual dining groupleisurenotice of intentionrestaurant

Recent Posts

  • Vector Wealth is Pulled Into Administration

    16th June 2022 - 0 Comment
  • Founda Goes into Administration

    23rd May 2022 - 0 Comment
  • UK Government Backs Bulb Bonuses

    12th May 2022 - 0 Comment

Related Posts

  • Travel Day Calls It a Day in Sudden Collapse

    7th April 2021 - 0 Comment
  • Virgin Active Risks Insolvency During Restructuring Logjam

    30th March 2021 - 0 Comment
  • Pubs Feel the Heat After a Year of Lockdown

    22nd March 2021 - 0 Comment

Author Description

No Responses to “Bella Italia Administration Risks Mount”

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


*
*

  • Popular
  • Recent
  • Comments
  • How to Buy a Distressed Business Out of Administration

    2nd October 2017 - 0 Comment
  • How to Use UK Insolvency Information to Buy a Distressed Business

    2nd October 2017 - 0 Comment
  • Major UK Shipbuilder Enters administration, Distressed Assets Sold

    22nd December 2017 - 0 Comment
  • How to Build a Distressed Business Portfolio

    6th February 2018 - 0 Comment
  • How to Buy a Distressed Business at Auction

    23rd October 2018 - 0 Comment
  • Vector Wealth is Pulled Into Administration

    16th June 2022 - 0 Comment
  • Founda Goes into Administration

    23rd May 2022 - 0 Comment
  • UK Government Backs Bulb Bonuses

    12th May 2022 - 0 Comment
  • Insolvencies Expected to Rise to ‘New Normal’ in 2022

    14th January 2022 - 0 Comment
  • Insolvencies Rising Amid Further Expected Collapses

    4th November 2021 - 0 Comment

Keep up with the latest UK insolvency news

RSS Subscribe 0 Followers
© 2012. All Rights Reserved. Created with love by SmoothThemes