Two Lancashire branches of restaurant chain Beefeater are just one week away from closing their doors for good as part of a nationwide shutdown affecting all 106 sites.
Customers visiting the Beefeater restaurants on Southport Road in Scarisbrick, near Ormskirk, and Devonshire Road in Bispham, Blackpool, now have just days left before both venues cease trading on September 10.
The closures form part of a major restructuring programme by Whitbread, the hospitality giant behind Beefeater and Premier Inn.
Members of the Beefeater Reward Club were informed of the decision in a letter confirming that every remaining Beefeater restaurant across the UK will close on the same date.
The letter said: “As you may have seen, we have recently announced changes to our business, which is resulting in the closure of our Branded Restaurants.
“This means that on Thursday, September 10, your local Beefeater and all other UK Beefeaters will close.”
Whitbread first unveiled the plans earlier this year as it looks to reshape its business and focus more heavily on its hotel operations.
The company has said rising costs, including increases to business rates and National Insurance contributions, played a significant role in the decision.
Chief executive Dominic Paul said Whitbread had reviewed its options before deciding to concentrate on growing Premier Inn and streamlining the wider business.
Under the plans, some former restaurant sites will be converted into additional hotel rooms, while Whitbread also intends to sell around £1.5 billion of freehold property assets to support future investment.
The business currently operates approximately 86,600 Premier Inn rooms and is aiming to increase that figure to 96,000 by the 2031 financial year.
Beefeater's loyalty scheme has also ended, with members told the Reward Club was to close on August 31.
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Whitbread says it hopes to redeploy many affected employees across its wider operations, although around 3,800 jobs are expected to be lost across its UK and Ireland workforce of roughly 30,000 people.
Brewers Fayre restaurants are also due to close under the wider restructuring plans, although dates for those closures have yet to be confirmed.
The upcoming closures will mark the end of Beefeater's presence in Lancashire, with the Scarisbrick and Bispham restaurants among the final sites still operating in the county.
Will you be sad to see the Lancashire Beefeater restaurants close? Let us know in the comments.
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