Gino D’Acampo’s restaurant chain is in crisis after the UK tax authority filed a winding-up petition against the business that runs its five high-profile outlets. The move by HMRC follows a High Court filing that now puts the TV chef’s presence on the UK high street in jeopardy.
A business saved — and now at risk
Upmarket Hotels & Leisure, the parent company of the Gino D’Acampo restaurants in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds, and London’s Strand, was pulled from administration last year by an unnamed buyer in a £5m deal. That deal preserved 400 jobs and briefly revived the chain after its near-collapse.
But the company has returned to trouble. HMRC’s legal action follows the business posting losses of nearly £1.5m and total debts of almost £6m at the time of its previous administration. The tax authority said the winding-up petition was the final step after all other debt resolution attempts had failed.
Who still holds the cards
Peter Cowgill, the former JD Sports boss who still owns over half of the company, was owed more than £2.6m when the firm collapsed, according to administrators Begbies Traynor. Cowgill and Steven Walker, the previous majority owner, founded Upmarket in 2021 and oversaw its rise and fall in the hospitality sector.
D’Acampo, the Italian-born chef known for his This Morning appearances and I’m a Celebrity... fame, has built a media empire but is now facing a real-world reckoning in the courts. The restaurants, once a symbol of the brand’s reach beyond the small screen, now risk vanishing from the high street.
