Hummus Bros becomes latest high street casualty

Restaurant chain Hummus Bros has become the latest casual dining firm to fall into administration.

The Mediterranean food chain had six outlets in London, but collapsed due to rising property costs and a fall in sales.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Hummus Bros said: "The combination of the pound falling after the Brexit vote, which pushed up the costs of our raw ingredients, as well as property rents and business rates going up ever higher, make the high street a very difficult place to operate in at this time."

Ben Woodthorpe and Simon Harris of ReSolve Partners have now been brought in as administrators to the business.

The company, which has been running for 13 years, said it had tried to find sources of revenue outside of its high street stores.

It tried to set up in canteens of large companies, launched a supermarket product and started a street food business.

However, these efforts failed to keep the business afloat.

The restaurant and retail industries have been under intense pressure this year due to rising costs and a squeeze on consumer spending, leading to several high street names closing outlets.

Last week, upmarket restaurant chain Prescott & Conran, founded by Sir Terence Conran, went into administration, putting more than 168 jobs at risk.

Carluccio's was also recently given approval for a restructuring programme that could see it close dozens of restaurants, putting 500 jobs in doubt.

Other restaurant chains which have been shutting stores include Byron, Prezzo and Jamie's Italian.