Restaurant group Valentina Fine Foods in administration
Restaurant group Valentina Fine Foods, which has eight restaurants in London and Surrey, has called in the administrators.
Insolvency firm Begbies Traynor was appointed to look after the business last week.
The move came after Valentina took the decision in September to close its Reigate branch, stating that the "eating industry has changed" and citing disruptive technology from the likes of Deliveroo as a factor.
The business was founded by entrepreneur Bruno Zoccola in 1991.
Zoccola already had links to the hospitality industry, as owner of Brazilian beef supplier RH Thompson, but gradually made the move into restaurants with the opening of Valentina East Sheen in Surrey, which was essentially a delicatessen when it started.
When his nephew Fabio Arcari came on board nine years ago, the pair looked at opening a restaurant too.
Another restaurant, this time in Putney followed, and the business has since expanded to a number of sites in London and the South East.
Registered in Ilford, Essex, the trading sites affected by the administration include: 281 Lavender Hill, London; 210 Upper Richmond Road West, London; 75 Upper Richmond Road, London; 10-12 High Street, Weybridge, Surrey; 404-406 Chiswick High Road, London; 145 Notting Hill Gate, London; 12 Church Street, Reigate; and Units C, D & E at the Cardamom Building in Shad Thames, London.
The Shad Thames site was launched as a flagship store in 2015, with space for over 100 diners in the restaurant as well as a large deli selling hams and salami, cheeses and traditional antipasti and a wine store selling over 200 Italian wines.
No-one from Begnies Traynor nor Valentina Fine Foods was immediately available to comment.
Valentina Fine Foods closes half of its sites following sale to Gazzano and Son >>
Former Judas Priest guitarist's hotel Astbury Hall in administration >>
Handmade Burger Co collapse blamed on competition, as creditors owed £3.3m >>
Chicago Rib Shack sold after pre-pack administration >>
Videos from The Caterer archives
