Pizza Express is to close 73 branches in the UK – affecting around 1,100 members of staff.
The locations have not yet been announced.
Every effort will be made to redeploy staff.
UK&I managing director Zoe Bowley said the announcement of the Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) proposal follows a period of constructive dialogue with the British Property Federation and a range of landlords.
“We have taken onboard their feedback and accommodated their requests as far as possible.
“Unfortunately, the impact of the global pandemic has meant that we have had to make some incredibly tough decisions to safeguard Pizza Express for the long term.
“Today we have confirmed that 73 of our pizzerias are proposed to close permanently. In most cases, there is another PizzaExpress nearby, either already open or reopening soon, to welcome our customers.
“Our focus is on our people whose jobs are impacted and we will be doing everything we can either to redeploy them or to support them in finding roles elsewhere.
“Hard as this process is, it will protect the jobs of over 9,000 of our colleagues and provide a strong footing for Pizza Express to meet future challenges and opportunities,” she said.
The restaurant chain has 454 branches in the UK, with five in the greater Belfast area.
