Brasserie Blanc in Birmingham to close

Brasserie Blanc will end its association with Birmingham after announcing plans to move out of "high rent" city centres and focus on serving "local communities" instead.

Birmingham's Brasserie Blanc will close in the next seven days after nine years in the city with Piccolino's, the premium casual dining concept from Individual Restaurant Company, set to take over the site at Nine Brindley Place in either April or May.

John Lederer, managing director of Brasserie Blanc, said: "This sale reflects our intention to focus our attention on the new style Brasserie Blanc concept serving local communities away from the high rent attached to major city centre sites."

Lederer said that the reputation of its predecessor, Le Petit Blanc, had suffered as a result of it entering administration in 2003 and Brasserie Blanc had found the repositioning of the restaurant in Birmingham to be a "particularly unfulfilling task".

"Rather than continue to push water uphill we have decided to focus on growing the Brasserie Blanc business in those old locations that are trading excellently and in our new ones."

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By Christopher Walton

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