Café chain faces uncertain future

The future of Canterbury’s Patisserie Valerie has been thrown into doubt after the troubled café chain collapsed into administration.

The company, which has four Kent branches including one in the city’s High Street, will close 70 stores and concessions.

This comes after rescue talks between Patisserie Valerie and its lenders HSBC and Barclays fell apart.

It will continue to trade from 121 stores as administrators assess the possibility of selling it.

Joint administrator Blair Nimmo from KPMG said: “Our intention is to continue trading across the profitable stores, as collectively, the brands have a strong presence on the high street and have proven very popular with consumers.

“At the same time, we will be seeking a buyer for the business and are hopeful of a good level of interest.

“However, we have had to take the difficult decision to close 70 stores resulting in a significant number of redundancies.

“We will be working with those affected employees, providing all the support and assistance they need.”

The company announced in October that it faced a financial management crisis, which included a £1.1 million unpaid tax bill.

Details outlining which branches are facing closure are expected to be revealed this week.