No truth to rumour that Northampton's Toby Carvery or Miller & Carter Steakhouse will shut

Neither Northampton's branch of Toby Carvery or its Miller & Carter Steakhouse are set to close, the restaurant's head office has confirmed.

National newspapers reported this week that Toby Carvery owner Mitchells & Butlers has announced 1,300 jobs losses after the company reportsed an annual loss of £123 million.

Earlier this month, the company announced that it was closing up to 20 of its pubs and restaurants, and began redundancy consultations with staff.

Although the group had already confirmed that restaurants and pubs closures would be made, it did not then disclose how many roles were at risk - with redundancies of 1,300 staff members now announced. The group has not yet said where the redundancies will be or how many job losses will hit each of its brands.

Now, Mitchells & Butlers has confirmed that Northampton's Toby Carvery on London Road, Hunsbury will not be shutting.

Additionally, the Miller & Carter Steakhouse on Talavera Way, Thorplands, which is also owed by M&B, will also not be closing.

The company's also controls the two Harvester pubs in Riverside Retail Park and Grange park, which are also secure.

The group has seen heavy annual losses for the year to 26 September, in contrast to pre-tax profits of £177 million the previous year.

The hospitality sector as a whole has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and the measures put in place to control its spread - including the first lockdown back in March.

Full-year revenues dropped 34 per cent to £1.5 billion, and the company said total sales since the end of September have decreased by 50.8 per cent.