Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has announced the closure of his Aberdeen restaurant and blamed Brexit for putting 27 north-east jobs at risk.
Jamie’s Italian on Union Street, which opened in the former premises of Esslemont and Macintosh in 2013, after the department store closed in 2007, is one of six branches of the Naked Chef’s restaurants around the country which will cease trading by the end of March.
Mr Oliver also intends to close his Jamie’s Italian eateries in Exeter, Cheltenham, Richmond, Tunbridge Wells and Ludgate Hill.
Staff in the Aberdeen branch were given the bad news on Wednesday.
The move will result in 120 jobs being put at risk around the country – which is less than 5% of the restaurant chain’s total staff – but the company said it would aim to offer them alternative jobs at other outlets.
The closure comes after a number of high-profile restaurant casualties across Aberdeen in recent months.
In October, The Adelphi Kitchen and the barbecue restaurant Cue – formally The Courtyard – both shut down.
And in November, the Merchant Bistro on Correction Wynd was forced to cease trading.
Simon Blagden, chief executive of the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, said: “As every restaurant owner knows, this is a tough market and, post-Brexit, the pressures and unknowns have made it even harder.
“These closures are in no way a reflection on the dedication and commitment of our staff and my first priority is to try and secure those affected alternative jobs.
“Where this isn’t possible, we’ll be working with them to find alternative employment.
“Because we refuse to compromise on the quality and provenance of our ingredients and our commitment to training and developing our staff, we need restaurants that can serve an average of 3,000 covers every week to be sustainable.”
However, Andrew Turnbull, senior lecturer in retail at Robert Gordon University said: “I think Brexit is a bit of a red herring here because, in the larger scheme of things, it’s just one piece of a larger jigsaw.
“It is a very tough market, but in Aberdeen’s case, I am afraid this closure will more likely be associated with local circumstances in the market.
“It’s not untrue that the value of the pound has fallen significantly, but they’re looking for excuses here, and Brexit happens to be a convenient one.”
