Earlier this month it was reported that the Italian casual dining chain’s administrators FRP Advisory were in talks with a number of parties including Tesco.
Owned by Ranjit Singh Boparan, Boparan has a history of snapping up troubled restaurant business and is also rumoured to be eyeing up Byron.
The 73-strong chain collapsed into administration at the end of March despite a reported injection of cash from Carluccios’ owner, the Dubai-based Jagtiani Foundation.#
In a statement, Carluccio's directors said a sustained period of challenging trading, which had been exacerbated by the coronavirus outbreak, meant the chain was "unable to meet its financial obligations as they were due".
Its Ireland operation and franchise business in the Middle East is unaffected
Carluccio’s CEO Mark Jones has been vocal about the company’s problems since the crisis, telling its 2,000 staff last month how a rapid decline in sales and closure of its restaurants had exhausted cash resources, and left it struggling to make the payroll payment.
A spokesperson for the administrator said: “FRP is working with the directors of Carluccio’s to consider all options for the company in the current climate.”
The restaurant chain was founded over 20 years ago by celebrity chef Antonio Carluccio, who died aged 80 in 2017