Eight Bistrot Pierre restaurants have shut
Bistrot Pierre in Southport(Image: Phil Boorman Photography Ltd)
A French-style restaurant chain has closed eight restaurants across the UK with immediate effect, including two in the north west.
Bistrot Pierre has shut its venues in Southport and Preston after the company was sold out of administration. A total of 158 redundancies have been made.
The remaining 10 Bistrot Pierre restaurants will continue to trade after being bought by new owners Cherry Equity Partners. The chain was launched in Nottingham in 1994 by founders John Whitehead and Robert Beacham.
In Southport a note was posted in the restaurant’s window informing customers of the closure. It read: “Will Wright and Ryan Grant of Interpath Advisory were appointed joint administrators of Bristrot Pierre 19944 Limited on 7 March 2025. The restaurant is now closed.”
A Bistrot Pierre spokesperson told the Liverpool Echo: “The future of Bistrot Pierre has been secured following a sale of a substantial part of the business to a vehicle owned by Cherry Equity Partners. The transaction, which was undertaken via a pre-pack administration process, ensures ten Bistrot Pierre sites around the country will continue to trade, safeguarding 394 jobs.
“Regrettably, eight restaurants will close immediately, resulting in 158 redundancies. The administrators will be providing all available support to those impacted as a matter of priority.”
The eight sites to close are Birmingham, Mere Green, Newport, Kidderminster, Southport and Preston, Leamington Spa and Coventry.
Nick White, CEO of Bistrot Pierre, said: “We are delighted to have secured the future of the business and, with the backing of Cherry Equity Partners, now have a strong platform in place for future growth. At the same time, we are tremendously sad to see eight of our sites close.
“The impending increases in National Minimum Wage and National Insurance contributions will add hundreds of thousands of pounds to our costs, making our smaller locations simply unviable. We’d like to express our sincere thanks to our teams that have worked so hard to serve the fantastic customers that have visited these locations over the years.”
Ed Standring, CEO of Cherry Equity Partners, said: “This investment marks our second acquisition in as many months, and underscores our deep commitment to the UK hospitality sector – an industry we’re incredibly passionate about and one we believe is full of opportunity. Bistrot Pierre is a well-loved Bistrot, bar and boutique rooms business with a great heritage, and we’re looking forward to working with Nick and the team to invest and grow the business.”