The Aberdeen branch of Yo! has been spared the axe under plans to shut 19 outlets around the UK, the sushi restaurant chain has confirmed.
Yo! in Union Square shopping centre is not among sites deemed “no longer financially viable” as the London-based company looks to reduce its costs via a company voluntary arrangement.
The group operates 59 restaurants and 10 concessions in the UK, along with 52 kiosks in Tesco stores. Two Scottish outlets are doomed – in Edinburgh and Glasow – under a closure plan affecting 250 jobs.
Meanwhile, liquidation plans are being drawn up for Debenhams in case other options for saving the department store chain fail – potentially threatening thousands of jobs. It is understood restructuring firm Hilco Capital has been appointed to work on “contingency plans” in the event that a sales process for the business collapses.
Debenhams, which has 124 stores, including branches in Aberdeen and Inverness, employs an estimated 14,000 staff in the UK.
It collapsed into administration four months ago and announced plans to axe 2,500 jobs in its stores and warehouses last week.
A source close to the company said administrators were required to have liquidators on standby “in the unlikely event that all other options for the business do not materialise”.
A spokesman for the retailer said: “Debenhams is trading strongly, with 124 stores reopened and a healthy cash position. As previously stated, the administrators of Debenhams Retail Ltd have initiated a process to assess ways for the business to exit its protective administration.”