High street suffers huge new blow as popular bakery chain closes all branches - except for one

The news comes after a note was allegedly found outside one of the chain's sites.

It read: "The affairs business and property of the Bruncho UK Limited (trading as Le Pain Quotidien) are being managed by the Joint Administrators, Sarah Rayment and Philip Dakin of Kroll Advisory."

A global restructuring specialist at Kroll said Le Pain Quotidien had struggled with a decrease in sales caused by a reduced footfall in London, as well as rising rents and wage costs.

Sarah Rayment told CityAM: "Pressures on parts of the hospitality and casual dining sector have been well highlighted.

"Brunchco UK Limited which is predominantly located in London has suffered from reduced revenues as a result of decreased footfall in the capital, high rents and increased wage costs.

"As part of the next steps of the insolvency, we will be looking to realise value from the company's leasehold interests and other assets."

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The move could see the loss of 250 jobs, according to The Caterer.

Le Pain Quotidien, which is French for "the daily bread" was founded in Brussels in 1990 and runs business from more than 260 locations worldwide.

In 2020, the bakery filed for bankruptcy in its US division which saw the closure all of its 98 stores.

However, around 50 sites have since reopened.

The following Le Pain Quotidien stores could be closing their doors for good:

• The Westgate Centre, Oxford
• Marylebone High Street, London
• Hyde Park, London
• Mayfair, London
• Covent Garden, London
• South Kensington, London
• Royal Festival Hall, London
• Monument, London
• Parsons Green, London