Ed's Easy Diner in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre has closed with staff told they no longer have jobs.

The retro American diner chain has been sold after collapsing into administration with a number of diners closing immediately.

It has been sold to Giraffe Concepts Limited, part of Boparan Restaurant Holdings.

It was closed yesterday (Wednesday, October 12) after aministrators from accountancy giant KPMG were called in.

In addition to acquiring the Ed’s Easy Diner brand, the sale will see Giraffe Concepts acquire 33 restaurants and the company’s head office team, securing circa 700 jobs.

A further 26 diners, including the Redditch one, have closed with immediate effect, resulting in 379 redundancies.

A spokesman from the Kingfisher Shopping Centre confirmed the news. 

They added: "We are very sorry to see them close and it is disappointing to see the business fail but the units are all in strong trading locations with good occupier demand and we expect to secure replacement occupiers quickly."

Commenting on the sale, Rob Croxen, partner at KPMG, said: “While we are pleased the transaction preserves around 700 jobs, our immediate priority in the coming days will be to liaise with those employees who have been affected by redundancy and ensure that in addition to receiving all back pay owed, they are provided with any assistance they need."

More to follow.