Close call for 100 jobs as pub chain avoids ruin

P l a n s f o r t wo n e w p u b s p l u n g e d p u b c h a i n P G Taverns (S cotland) Limited dangerously close to financial ruin threatening 100 jobs and the loss of a string of popular pubs.

But licensed insolvency s p e c i a l i s t s Wi l s o n Fi e l d a p p o i n t e d a d m i n i s t r a - tors Kelly Burton and Lisa Hogg to negotiate a deal to save the bars and jobs.

T h e d e m i s e h a s b e e n blamed on spiralling costs and significant delays in setting up The Jolly Gin and Craft in Falkirk and The Grape in East Calder which sparked cashflow problems as the two new pub openings stalled.

PG Taverns also blamed “poor weather” for lower c u s t o mer f o o t f a l l i n t h e existing pubs.

Matters came to a head wh e n t h e c o mp a ny wa s ser ved with a winding-up petition by HMRC due to a significant historical backlog in tax payments.