Prezzo, the excessive road restaurant chain, is bracing for a courtroom showdown with landlords over the closure of a 3rd of its websites.

It’s understood that Prezzo will write to the homeowners of its 143-strong property on Tuesday to inform them of the authorized course of by means of which it intends to close unprofitable shops.

Metropolis sources mentioned the chain, which is owned by Cain Worldwide, supposed to make use of a proper restructuring plan to power by means of the overhaul.

Prezzo introduced final week that it was axing 46 retailers with the lack of greater than 800 jobs.

It mentioned rising vitality payments and double-digit price inflation on gadgets together with dough balls and spaghetti had hit the monetary efficiency of a lot of its websites.

Landlords, who embody a few of Britain’s largest industrial property-owners, will be capable of vote at a listening to on 22 Could, in response to an insider.

Nevertheless, the plan is definite to be accredited due to Cain’s standing as Prezzo’s largest creditor, the insider added.

The chain’s remaining websites is not going to be the topic of any hire cuts.

Prezzo’s use of a restructuring plan is more likely to be controversial amongst landlords after the mechanism started getting used in the course of the pandemic.

It made no reference to the plan in final week’s announcement concerning the closures.

Dean Challenger, chief govt of Prezzo, mentioned final week: “The associated fee-of-living disaster, the altering face of the excessive road and hovering inflation has made it unimaginable to maintain all our eating places working profitably.

“That’s the reason now we have made the troublesome determination to shut 46 websites the place the post-COVID restoration has proved more durable than we had hoped.

“We imagine the powerful selections we’re making at this time will guarantee Prezzo can proceed serving communities with high-quality, accessible Italian-inspired meals for a lot of extra years to come back.”

Prezzo declined to touch upon the restructuring plan, on which FRP Advisory is appearing.