Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo is restructuring its restaurant business La Place: 23 restaurants, or more than a quarter of all establishments, are closing due to the corona crisis.
Millions of losses every month
At La Place 480 jobs are lost. The lunch restaurant chain has been severely hit by the corona crisis, owner Jumbo informs De Telegraaf. More than half of the 80 restaurants in the Netherlands are still closed and in recent months the chain has recorded a monthly loss of 6 to 7 million euros. Before the lockdown, the business had been “very profitable”.
Nevertheless, Jumbo decides to cut the chain considerably now: a quarter of all branches will be shut. This concerns 23 restaurants which according to the supermarket group can no longer be taken out of the red. The affected branches are located as well in shopping streets as in shopping centres and along motorways,
New generation
A spokesperson confirms to NOS that the remaining branches will be remodeled. La Place has “worked hard over the past few months to further develop the concept”. In the second half of 2020, the group will launch “a new generation La Place” based on “good food fast”.
Parent holding Jumbo says it wants to avoid forced redundancies as much as possible in the coming closures. For the employees, however, it is a flashback to three years ago, when former owner V&D went bankrupt. Jumbo took over La Place, but a number of branches had to close for good.
