A major fast food chain has cut 244 jobs after collapsing into administration.
Leon was forced to shut 22 locations following the collapse in December.
Quantuma Advisory says the fast food chain, famous for its halloumi burgers and waffle fries, currently employs 573 people.
The business has struggled financially for several years. It lost £12.5million in 2023 and a further £8.3million the year after.
Early accounts for 2025 suggest another loss of almost £10million.
Once celebrated for its natural, fast-casual dining concept, Leon expanded to 85 restaurants across Britain and internationally at its peak in 2022.
The brand has struggled since its acquisition by Asda owner EG Group in 2021.
John Vincent, who co-founded the chain, reacquired the business from Asda in October, attributing its decline partly to “increasingly unsustainable taxes” while acknowledging that Leon had drifted from its “core values”.
Leon has confirmed restaurant closures | GETTY
“In the last two years, Asda had bigger fish to fry, and Leon was always a business they didn’t feel fitted their strategy,” Mr Vincent said.
He expressed optimism about the future, stating he hoped to be “providing jobs to many more people once we have returned to profitability and can continue to grow again”.
Under the Issa brothers, the British-Indian billionaire businessmen behind EG Group, Leon had pursued aggressive expansion into petrol forecourts and Asda supermarket locations.
A major restaurant chain is closing down | GETTY / PA
Quantuma Advisory has put forward a company voluntary agreement, a restructuring mechanism that would enable Leon to continue operating while renegotiating its debts with creditors.
The administrators have simultaneously been in discussions with landlords seeking reduced rental terms for the remaining sites.
For workers affected by the closures, Leon has indicated it will attempt to transfer staff to other restaurants within the chain where possible. Those who cannot be redeployed will be offered redundancy packages.
The company has additionally established a pathway for former employees to apply for positions at Pret A Manger.
Mr Vincent and fellow co-founder Henry Dimbleby previously co-authored the Government’s School Food Plan in 2013, aimed at improving children’s diets.
Leon is closing approximately 20 underperforming UK restaurants
|
GETTYLeon is closing approximately 20 underperforming UK restaurants and restructuring after entering administration in December 2025, with plans to shut several locations, including Manchester Piccadilly, Brighton North Street, and various London sites.
While a full, definitive list hasn’t been released, confirmed closures include:
- Tongham, Surrey
- Notting Hill Gate, London
- ASDA, Milton Keynes
- Westfield London, Shepherd’s Bush
- George Street, Richmond
- Chancery Lane, High Holborn, London
- Cheapside, London
- Brixton Road, London
- Brighton (North Street)
- Manchester Piccadilly
- Wimbledon Hill Road, London
The chain is focusing on reducing its footprint, with 10 locations already shuttered by late December 2025, including three overseas franchises. The company is aiming to emerge from this process as a leaner business,