Carluccio’s is bought in deal which will lead to more than 1,000 job losses.

The dining chain has been bought by Giraffe and Ed’s Easy Diner owner Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) in a move which will save 800 jobs.

However, administrators FRP Advisory said it was unable to secure the future of Carluccio’s 40 other restaurants, resulting in 1,019 redundancies.

Phil Reynolds, joint administrator and partner at FRP, said: “The Covid-19 lockdown has put incredible pressure on businesses across the leisure sector, so it has been important to work as quickly and as decisively as possible in an extremely challenging business environment to secure a sale.

“It ensures the future of the Carluccio’s brand in the UK casual dining scene, retains a significant network of sites across the country and, critically, transfers a considerable number of jobs.”

Satnam Leihal, managing director of BRG, said: “We welcome Carluccio’s colleagues to BRG.

“This acquisition is in line with our strategy to grow our restaurant group with quality brands.

“Whilst it is an extremely challenging time for the sector, we believe quality hospitality businesses will recover in the long term as people return to eating out.”

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor