Fri, 31 May 2013 | BUSINESS SALE
The owner of roadside restaurant business Little Chef has said that it has started to receive bids for the company.
Private equity firm RCapital bought the business out of administration back in 2007 and embarked upon what it termed a “long-term critical rebuild strategy”. This is now reportedly complete and the business was put on the market last month.
So far bids for the chain have come from rival convenience food outlets, including Costa, Starbucks, McDonald's and KFC. This has prompted fears that the Little Chef brand could disappear altogether if one of these companies buy the sites and rebrand them.
A statement from RCapital said: “It is not a surprise that the majority of the offers for Little Chef are from companies that may want to rebrand the estate. RCapital has a deep affection for the Little Chef brand and it is hoped that some Little Chefs will remain on Britain's A roads even if some sites are re-branded.”
The company opened its first site in Reading in 1958. By 2007 it had grown to a chain of over 230 restaurants but when the firm fell into administration, the new owners RCapital slimmed down the chain to its current size of 83 restaurants. They also cut the staff down from 4,000 to 1,100.
____________________________________________________________________________
Related articles:
Little Chef business for sale
How to turn around a struggling business
The company provides quality artificial grass for the commercial, residential, education, entertainment and sports sectors. Operates to a high standard following a bespoke process created in-house, providing a first class service and ensuring all pro...
Offers comprehensive suited fire safety solutions including fire door inspections, passive fire surveys, fire extinguisher service and installation, fire risk assessments as well as on-site fire warden and basic fire awareness training. Additional tr...
The company provides a comprehensive range of plumbing, heating, electrical and security services, including installations, maintenance, replacement, and repairs. Additionally, it supplies renewable energy services, such as heat pumps, biomass, solar...
Please choose your settings for this site below. For more information please read our Cookie Policy
These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly and provide you with access to all features.
These are analytics cookies that help us to improve the way our website works.
These are used to improve the functional performance of the website and make it easier for you to use.