2023-08-08 21:26:08
All the restaurants of the Juliette & Chocolat brand closed their doors on Monday. The company, which will keep its online store and its links with its grocery partners, explains that profitability was no longer there. In question in particular: the repayment of government loans obtained during the pandemic.
“It is with great sadness and a very heavy heart that I officially announce the closure of all our branches as of today,” wrote the owner and co-founder of the company, Juliette Brun, in an email sent to employees on Monday. licensees including The duty got a copy.
“We have all worked hard since the restaurants reopened last summer, but unfortunately the results are not enough to compensate for the loss we have accumulated during COVID,” she continues, adding that restaurants are no longer profitable.
Spending up, revenue down
Tuesday, daytime, Mme Brun also explained herself publicly on Instagram.
The businesswoman points out that the margins “have always been very thin”, but that, since the pandemic, the operating costs are on the rise – mentioning “the increase in recruitment costs, salaries, raw materials” —, while inflation weighs on consumption habits and thus weighs on incomes.
“But the biggest impact is the government loan repayments obtained during the pandemic,” which the company has had to factor into its expenses, says Ms.me Brun.
“We tried everything not to come to this conclusion, going so far as to request a moratorium on this debt in order to reduce the impact of its repayments, but unfortunately, this moratorium was refused to us”, specifies- She.
Online store and points of sale
However, Juliette & Chocolat did not completely disappear from the Quebec landscape. The company will keep its online store as well as its network of resellers – which includes delicatessens, Metro and IGA –, according to what Ms.me Brown on Instagram.
Founded in 2003, Juliette & Chocolat owns a dozen restaurants in the greater Montreal area, and its products are available in nearly 70 points of sale in Quebec.
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