Jamie Barber restructures Cabana with closures and redundancies expected
Jamie Barber has restructured his Brazillian casual dining chain Cabana, buying the restaurants out of administration and absorbing them into his Hush Brasseries business.
Hush, which operates under the same Sweet Potato umbrella brand as Cabana, has absorbed the majority of the business and its assets, including 156 employees and five restaurants.
The restructuring means some 68 employees face redundancy, with underperforming sites in Southampton and Manchester to close with immediate effect - leaving no site outside of London in its portfolio.
Will Wright, partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said: "Following a thorough marketing process, we are pleased to have been able to conclude a sale of the business."
Steve Absolom, KPMG partner and joint administrator, added that those employees made redundant would be directed to the Insolvency Service as Cabana was not in a position to pay those affected.
He said: "Whilst it is always pleasing to preserve a significant number of jobs, sadly a number of redundancies are to be made at the restaurants in Manchester and Southampton. Over the coming days, our priority is to ensure all employees who have been affected by redundancy receive the information and guidance they need in order to claim monies owed from the Redundancy Payments Office."
The firm is yet to comment on its future plans for the sites.