End of the road for Jesmond’s Filmore & Union

Health-focused chain Filmore & Union will no longer serve customers on Acorn Road after an administration deal that ended the Jesmond business.

The chain went into administration following cash flow pressures on May 24th, and will now operate a limited number of stories all over the country.

Administration of the popular chain was taken over by Phil Pierce and Paul Whitwam, partners at FRP Advisory LLP, a specialist business advisory firm. They were able to secure a partial sale deal with Coffeesmiths Collective.

As part of the deal, stores in Jesmond, York, Harrogate, Skipton, Moortown, its head office in Wetherby as well as its Wetherby Deli will all shut, leading to a loss of around 80 jobs.

The Jesmond venue opened in late 2017 after the company was bolstered by a £3.5m investment from the Business Growth Fund (BGF) in 2017. It became popular for its healthy options, including gluten-free brunches and teas. In 2018, the venue won a battle with residents to sell drinks until 9.30pm on the last Thursday, Friday and Saturday of each month.

Coffeesmiths Collective is a family of “speciality coffee shops” whose portfolio includes 15 brands in the UK and six in the US.

With the deal, the company has saved around 150 jobs by acquiring 10 sites at Nottingham, York, Newcastle, Redbrick Mill, Ilkley and Beverly. Sites that are part of a deal with John Lewis in Newcastle, York and Nottingham will continue to operate, as will the stores located at Newcastle Central Station and York Station.

The company is now working with the Redundancy Payments Service to provide support for employees.