Yet another national business chain is shutting up shop in Carmarthen, following in the footsteps of a number of others who have done the same in recent years. Restaurant giant Frankie & Benny’s is the latest company to leave the town, with its site in St Catherine’s Walk shopping centre set to close its doors for good.
The owner of Frankie & Benny’s - The Restaurant Group - announced last month that it was planning to reduce its UK estate by about 30%. This means that a number of Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito restaurants across the country will close, following a pre-tax loss of more than £80m in 2022. Some restaurants owned by the group will be sold and others will see their leases expire. Some, it is understood, will be converted to Wagamama restaurants, but this possibility is not being considered in Carmarthen.
What the company has confirmed is that it has made the “difficult decision” to close in the town, and management are working with staff in an attempt to redeploy them to other sites where possible. While the company remained tight-lipped on a final closing date, the restaurant is expected to shut its doors for good next month. You can keep up to date with the latest Carmarthenshire news by signing up to the local newsletter here.
