Jamie Oliver Group revenues fell 20 per cent last year amid lockdown
Turnover at the Jamie Oliver Group fell by 19.7 per cent to £30m as the company felt the force of the pandemic and lockdowns, according to reports.
Pre-tax profits for the group, made up of Jamie Oliver Holdings and Jamie Oliver Licensing, fell by 41.2 per cent to £4.9m according to The Times.
The Holdings company did not pay a dividend while Jamie Oliver Licensing announced a reduced dividend of £1.5m last year compared to £4m in 2019.
Speaking about its financial results the group reportedly said its performance was “robust against the backdrop of a global pandemic.”
Jamie Oliver’s latest cookbook sold over 280,000 copies in the UK and 180,000 abroad in August.
But Covid-19 and national lockdowns took a heavy toll on the company which received £418,000 of furlough support. The firm, which employs around 150 people, said the money helped it retain 40 extra staff members while its offices were forced shut during lockdown.
While his restaurant business, Jamie’s Italian, went into administration in 2019 the celebrity chef still owns an international franchise business.
His overseas restaurant franchises though, as well as his London-based cookery school, were forced to close temporarily. In total 26 franchised sites were permanently closed during the pandemic including at Gatwick airport. The business now has 52 sites across 20 territories with plans to open 15 new restaurants around the world, including in India, Brazil and the Middle East.