High street chain Prezzo to close three restaurants in Sussex

The chain’s restaurants in Chichester, Eastbourne and Hailsham are among 46 across the country which will shut, affecting more than 800 staff. 

Prezzo’s site at Brighton Marina will remain open.

The company plans to invest in menu development and high-quality ingredients, whilst working hard to balance the cost of living crisis and increasing food costs.

Dean Challenger, chief executive of Prezzo, said the last three years had been "some of the hardest times I have ever seen for the high street".

Prezzo restaurants in Chichester, Eastbourne and Hailsham will close (Image: Google Maps)

He said: “The reality is that the cost-of-living crisis, the changing face of the high street and soaring inflation have made it impossible to keep all our restaurants operating profitably.

“That is why we have made the difficult decision to close 46 sites where the post-Covid recovery has proved harder than we had hoped.

“We will work to find suitable alternative roles in other Prezzo restaurants for all those hard-working colleagues impacted by the announcement and support those who cannot be accommodated in finding new opportunities.

“We believe the tough decisions we are making today will ensure Prezzo can continue serving communities with high-quality, accessible Italian-inspired meals for many more years to come.”

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Prezzo has seen key costs rise over the past year, including utility bills more than doubling - now making up nine per cent of total revenues.

The restaurant is also facing inflationary pressures on core ingredients, with the chain’s dough balls seeing a 15 per cent increase in cost, along with a 28 per cent increase in the cost of pizza sauce and a 40 per cent increase in the cost of spaghetti.

While the restaurant’s customer numbers are strong in high footfall areas, they remain below pre-pandemic levels in other locations.

Almost 100 restaurants will remain open across the city with roughly 2,000 staff.

The move is another blow to the high street in Sussex and comes shortly after the closure of Zara Home and Paperchase at Churchill Square in Brighton.