Jamie Oliver's Gatwick restaurants sold to SSP
The Gatwick Airport units – Jamie’s Italian, Jamie Oliver’s Diner and Jamie’s Coffee Lounge – have been bought out of administration by the food travel specialist.
All members of staff will transfer to SSP as part of the agreement, saving 250 jobs.
The Gatwick sites were the only three restaurants which continued to trade after Oliver’s UK business collapsed last month, as they are understood to be particularly profitable.
But the other 22 restaurants in the group closed, including the Jamie’s Italian chain, Barbecoa and Fifteen London, with the loss of 1,000 jobs.
SSP begun working with the chef’s company in 2015 and already operates 12 Jamie Oliver restaurants across Europe. This week it announced plans to open the first Jamie’s Deli at Malaga airport, and has further units planned in Brazil and Bahrain.
"Jamie's cafes and restaurants are much loved by customers all around the world, so we're very excited to be adding the brand to our UK portfolio and increasing our presence at Gatwick Airport,” says Simon Smith, chief executive of SSP Group.
The remaining sites which traded as part of the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group have been put up for sale through property firm Christie & Co.
