Jobs lost as two more Little Chefs are shut

Another two Little Chef restaurants in Shropshire and Mid Wales have been boarded up after bosses of the roadside restaurant chain announced they would be shutting nearly half of its outlets.

The restaurants in Whitchurch and Trewern, near Welshpool, have shut up shop in the last few days. The move comes only weeks after the Newtown restaurant in Powys closed for business last month.

The company last month announced plans to close 67 of its 161 outlets and make between 500 and 600 job cuts across the UK.

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But a spokeswoman for the company today said she could not reveal exactly when either of the two recent closures took effect or how many jobs were lost.

It is believed the Whitchurch branch on the Wrexham Road bypass employed in the region of 10 full and part-time staff and the Trewern restaurant about five full and part-time staff.

Little Chef bosses blamed the weak economy and the location of the branches for their poor performance. They pledged to help find alternative employment for those affected by the closures.

Graham Sims, chairman of Little Chef, said: "When we acquired Little Chef four years ago we inherited a number of sites with leases that were uncompetitive. Despite very hard work from some very committed colleagues we have been unable to lift the performances of these sites to a level where they are viable."

The Whitchurch branch has gone up for sale and is now boarded up.

Councillor Rob Hewson, deputy mayor of Whitchurch, said the closure came as a blow for the town, adding that the restaurant employed about eight people.

A former employee of the Newtown branch, who did not wish to be named, said they turned up to work one morning only to be told they should seek alternative employment.

The company also has outlets in Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Ludlow.