Franco Manca launches CVA as Pinsent Masons advises

Franco Manca 2 UK Limited, the operating company behind the Franco Manca pizza chain in the UK, has launched a company voluntary arrangement. The CVA is understood to form part of a wider rationalisation of Franco Manca’s footprint, with around 16 restaurants expected to close and approximately 225 jobs potentially affected. The business trades from roughly 70 UK locations.

Franco Manca’s parent, The Fulham Shore, has said a minority of sites are no longer economically sustainable. Management has cited higher labour costs, increased employer national insurance contributions, elevated business rates and wider inflationary pressures weighing on margins across the restaurant sector.

The move follows a strategic review launched earlier this year that explored options including a sale or broader restructuring of the brand. Industry advisers have said mid-market restaurant operators remain exposed to a difficult trading environment, where consumers are price sensitive and input costs remain stubbornly high.

Franco Manca built its reputation on sourdough Neapolitan-style pizza and expanded rapidly after its early success in London. But the brand now joins a growing list of UK food and beverage operators using formal restructuring processes to trim restaurants assembled during lower-cost growth cycles.

The Fulham Shore is owned by Toridoll Holdings Corporation, which acquired The Fulham Shore in 2023 alongside investment firm Capdesia. The parent group also owns The Real Greek.

Pinsent Masons is advising Franco Manca on the CVA.