Landmark deal for Carluccio's

Italian restaurant chain Carluccio's has agreed to a £90.3 million takeover by Middle Eastern retail giant Landmark Group, it was announced yesterday.

By The Newsroom

Published 1st Sep 2010, 22:17 BST

Updated 2nd Sep 2010, 23:16 BST

Dubai-headquartered Landmark has offered 142p-a-share in cash for Carluccio's, which has 47 restaurants and food shops in the UK.

Carluccio's - founded by celebrity chef Antonio Carluccio and his wife Priscilla in 1991 - said the deal "represents an attractive premium, in cash, at a time of macro-economic uncertainty".

The chain grew profits by 8 per cent to 2.7 million in the six months to 28 March.