Cat's Pyjamas bought out of administration by owner's family to save 102 jobs

15 October 2018 by
Cat's Pyjamas bought out of administration by owner's family to save 102 jobs

Indian street food chain the Cat's Pyjamas, set up by entrepreneur Alison White, has been bought out of administration by her family after failing due to overexpansion.

The brand, which operates in five sites across Leeds, York, Harrogate, Headingly and Sheffield, was immediately picked up in a pre-pack deal by Meow Hospitality, which lists White's fiancé Paul Baron as the sole director.

Explaining the decision to the Harrogate Gazette, White said "My fiancé, Paul, who is already successful in the trade with his own businesses, is heading it up, thanks to financial contributions from many family members.

She added that they had "saved all jobs and all sites are fully operational".

The Scottish entrepreneur explained that she had initially looked to expand into Wakefield, but the site was not ready in time to balance the books. This led to losses of more than £50,000 a month.

White added: "These have been the worst few months of my life, when I should have been off on maternity spending time with my daughter, Elsie.

"The Cat's Pyjamas is a strong brand that I have put my heart and soul into for the last three years. The business is fully functioning and continuing to provide the service people know and love.

"I'm just sorry that we've had to go through this and hugely disappointed in the financial systems that have led to this, but I know the new company with my support will continue stronger."

The pre-pack deal acquired the entire business and assets with the exception of a central kitchen, which also ran as a head office for the company.

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