{"id":534051,"date":"2026-04-16T12:14:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/534051\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T12:14:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:14:25","slug":"list-of-franco-manca-restaurants-set-to-close-as-popular-pizza-chain-blames-disproportionately-high-taxes-with-more-than-200-jobs-at-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/534051\/","title":{"rendered":"List of Franco Manca restaurants set to close as popular pizza chain blames ‘disproportionately high taxes’ – with more than 200 jobs at risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

By PATRICK HARRINGTON, UK NEWS REPORTER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 06:05 EDT, 16 April 2026 | Updated: 06:22 EDT, 16 April 2026 <\/p>\n

The list of 16 Franco Manca restaurants reportedly set to close has been revealed, after the pizza chain said ‘disproportionately high’ taxes were strangling hospitality businesses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Half of the doomed branches are reported to be in London<\/a>, with more than 200 jobs at risk overall from the scaling back.<\/p>\n

The chain’s original restaurant in Brixton<\/a>, which launched in 2008 on a site that has been a pizzeria since 1986, has reportedly been earmarked for closure.<\/p>\n

Staff at restaurants in Battersea, Broadway Market, Chiswick, Kilburn, New Oxford Street, Stoke Newington and Tottenham Court Road are also said to have received the same memo.<\/p>\n

Casualties outside the capital are understood to include branches in Bishop\u2019s Stortford, Bromley, Cheltenham, Didsbury, Glasgow<\/a>, Hove, Lincoln and Plymouth.<\/p>\n

Franco Manca grew from an original pizzeria at the Brixton site, called Franco’s after its owner, that was bought by founders Giuseppe Mascoli and Bridget Hugo in 2008.<\/p>\n

The company was bought by The Fulham Shore, which also owns Mediterranean-themed chain The Real Greek, in 2015. Fulham Shore has since been bought by Japanese food conglomerate Toridoll Holdings.<\/p>\n

Fulham Shore boss Marcel Khan said that even restaurants ‘doing all the right things’ are vulnerable to several Government-imposed financial pressures: the national insurance hike, minimum wage increase, and the UK’s 20 per cent VAT rate.<\/p>\n

\"Franco <\/p>\n

Franco Manca’s first restaurant in Brixton is one of those that has been told it is closing down<\/p>\n

\"Franco <\/p>\n

Franco Manca\u00a0is set to shut 16 restaurants after being hit by ‘disproportionately high’ taxes in the UK<\/p>\n

Mr Khan confirmed Fulham Shore will launch a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) restructuring process for the Franco Manca business.<\/p>\n

It comes two months after bosses hired advisers to look at strategic options including a potential sale or a restructure, per reports in MCA<\/a>, which also published the list of closures.<\/p>\n

The company is understood to be continuing to review future options for the 28-strong Real Greek chain.<\/p>\n

Fulham Shore was bought by Japanese restaurant group Toridoll, with backing from investment firm Capdesia, in 2023 for \u00a393.4 million.<\/p>\n

Filings by Toridoll covering April to December 2025 showed Fulham Shore’s revenue was down 5.4 percent year-on-year, with both sales and profits for the group marked as ‘bad’.<\/p>\n

Mr Khan said: ‘Even restaurant businesses that are doing all the right things from a customer and operational perspective are not immune to widely publicised pressures impacting the hospitality industry.<\/p>\n

‘This includes significant increases in national insurance and the national living wage in recent history, as well as a lack of business rates relief for the restaurant sector and disproportionately high VAT in the UK compared with Europe.’<\/p>\n

He added: ‘As a result of these external cost pressures, we have to make sure that we are putting our business on a sustainable footing for long-term growth and development.<\/p>\n

‘This is why we have taken the difficult decision to undertake a CVA for Franco Manca, which will see a minority proportion of our restaurants closing where they are no longer sustainable in this cost environment.<\/p>\n

‘We are deeply saddened by the closures of a minority proportion of our restaurants, and will support our affected team members throughout this process in every way that we can.’<\/p>\n

Fulham Shore has been approached for further comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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