Italian chain losses

THE owner of pizza, pasta and grill chain Wildwood has halted plans to open venues this year amid a tough period for restaurants.

Tasty, which also owns Asian restaurants Dim T, said conditions in the sector were ‘ increasingly challenging’ last year, with no signs of letting up in 2018. It plans to close more restaurants this year after getting rid of six Wildwood sites in 2017 – while also opening six in different locations. The closures plunged Tasty into a £9.3m loss, down from a profit of £125,000 a year earlier.

Wildwood has 54 restaurants in the UK and Dim T has six.