14th Feb 2019 10:07
LONDON (Alliance News) - Cake chain Patisserie Holdings PLC has been bought out of administration by an Irish private equity firm, safeguarding nearly 2,000 jobs.
Dublin-based Causeway Capital Partners is understood to have snapped up 96 Patisserie Valerie sites. Patisserie Valerie is the trading name for the company's bakeries and cafes.
However, the deal does not include 27 sites belonging to sister brands Philpotts and Baker & Spice which are thought to be being sold separately to a different buyer.
Patisserie Valerie, which was chaired by Luke Johnson, was put up for sale last month after collapsing following the discovery of fraudulent activity in its accounts.
Sports Direct International PLC tycoon Mike Ashley subsequently submitted a bid for the chain, but later withdrew it, complaining that he had been locked out of the process by KPMG, which is managing the administration.
The cake firm's parent company, Patisserie Holdings, has been grappling with the fallout of the accounting fraud since October.
Last month the firm said the extent of fraud meant it was unable to renew its bank loans with HSBC and Barclays and it did not have sufficient funding to continue trading, leaving it with no option but to appoint KPMG as administrator.
KPMG has already closed 70 stores, resulting in 920 redundancies.
All parties declined to comment.
By Ravender Sembhy, Press Association City Editor
source: Press Association