Leamington steakhouse chain branch to shut as part of company closures next month
The Leamington branch of a large steakhouse chain will shut permanently next month (September) as part of national closures being carried out by the company which owns it.
Bar + Block opened at the former Barclay's bank site at 148-150 Parade in the town centre in November 2018.
It was only the chain’s seventh branch to have opened in the UK at the time .
But the chain’s owners, Whitbread, has announced it will close all Bar + Block branches on September 3 as part of on overhaul.
Whitbread has also announced it will close all of its 106 Beefeater restaurants in Britain as part of plans to cut 3,800 jobs and launch a new five-year strategy aimed at cutting costs by £250million.
All the Premier Inn owner’s 89 Brewers Fayre pub-restaurants will also close along with all branches of its 66 Table Table and Cookhouse + Pub brands early next month.
These dining spots including Bar + Block branches such as the one in Leamington, are often located near Premier Inn sites.
In total, around 200 sites are closing as a result of Whitbread’s changes.
Whitbread plans to sell off 110 sites and convert others into 600 new hotel rooms.
It wants to sell £1.5billion of freehold property to help fund future growth.
The firm, which recruits about 15,000 per year, has also said it expects to retain most staff affected by job cuts, and that it would try to redeploy as many people as possible
A Whitbread spokeswoman said: “We will continue to offer a great breakfast and dinner at all hotels, replacing branded Restaurants with a restaurant inside the hotel.
“This mirrors the format which is already in operation in over half of Premier Inn hotels and is highly popular with hotel guests.”
Dominic Paul, Whitbread's chief executive, has blamed 'punitive' business rate increases and tax hikes for the job and cost-cutting plan having to be implemented.
He said: 'We always challenge ourselves to improve and, in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and national insurance, as well as the implied market discount to our inherent value, we’ve looked hard at the options open to us to maximise value creation over the medium and long-term.”