The company has appointed administrators in a bid to safeguard the business
13:24, 15 Apr 2026Updated 13:29, 15 Apr 2026
Photo shows the Veeno bar in Leicester’s St Martin’s Square (Image: Google Street View)
An Italian bar and restaurant chain with a venue in Leicester city centre has plunged into administration after being affected by soaring costs.
The company has appointed administrators in a bid to safeguard the business.
Veeno Bars, which opened a site at St Martin’s Square in Leicester back in 2016, is among the five remaining venues now at risk of closure.
Bosses called in help on Wednesday, April 8, as the company struggled to stay afloat.
The chain was set up 13 years ago by Italian entrepreneurs Nino Caruso and Andrea Zecchino, bringing a taste of Sicily to the UK high street.
It expanded to cities including Bristol, Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Leicester, and even opened a site in Wroclaw, Poland.
The company has already shut two locations before the latest development, with its Manchester branch closing in August 2022 and its Chester site in February this year.
A notice in the London Gazette confirmed that David Kemp and Richard Hunt of Exigen Group Limited have been appointed as joint administrators for Vintage Corporation Ltd, Veeno’s legal operating company.
Founder Nino Caruso told The Sun: “Like many businesses in the UK casual dining sector, we have faced a combination of well-documented market pressures in recent years, including rising operating costs and challenges within the property landscape.
“This process allows us to address those factors, realign the business, and ensure a more sustainable foundation for the future.”
The chain previously fell into administration in 2019, only to be rescued when Rodrigue Trouillet stepped in to buy it out.