Carluccio's closes US sites

Italian restaurant chain Carluccio's has suddenly closed both of its restaurants in the USA.

The restaurants, located in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, and Rockville, Maryland, closed unexpectedly this week.

A sign on the Rockville site that reads: "Dear Patrons, thank you for your support. After careful consideration we are sorry to say we have closed our doors for good. We will miss you all dearly."

Carluccio's opened its first US restaurant in June 2015. The following March it opened in Rockville at the Pike & Rose development.

Jill McCarthy, marketing director for Pike & Rose said in a statement: "We were disappointed to learn that Carluccio's has closed its US locations, including its space at Pike and Rose. With the momentum of Phase Two, and the new openings we having coming in 2017-18, we're excited about the potential for other new restaurants and shops to join the Pike and Rose neighbourhood."

The chain has over 80 restaurants in the UK, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

A spokesperson for Carluccio's commented: "After a careful review of our US performance we have decided to close our two restaurants in Washington. Whilst trading was encouraging, the competitive nature of the US market meant margins were lower than anticipated and lower than other markets.

"Our two latest openings in York and Solihull along with our refurbished restaurants continue to outperform. This year, we are substantially investing in our core business with an accelerated refurbishment programme for our older restaurants and in the development of our food offer with the launch of a series of summer food festivals".

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