Two Covent Garden restaurants face uncertain futures as talks unfold over rent disputes and potential closures
London: So, it looks like the owners of two popular restaurants in Covent Garden are in a bit of a pickle. The Petersham and La Goccia are facing some serious talks about their future.
Reports say there’s a looming threat of closure due to a rent dispute between the Boglione family, who run Petersham Nurseries, and their landlord, Shaftesbury Capital. Yikes!
These discussions are set to happen early next week, and if things don’t go well, administrators might step in. The Daily Telegraph mentioned that the family has already filed for help in court to negotiate lower rents.
It seems this rental issue is just about the two restaurants and not the whole Petersham Nurseries business, which also includes a garden nursery and a Michelin Green-starred restaurant in Richmond.
The Boglione family started this whole venture back in the early 2000s from their home, Petersham House. Francesco and Gael Boglione opened Petersham Nurseries in 2002 after taking over a nearby garden nursery.
Their daughter, Lara, has been running the day-to-day operations since 2011 and even expanded the business to include a wine merchant. She was also behind the decision to open the Covent Garden spots in 2018.
However, things have been tough lately, with HMRC even filing winding-up petitions against Petersham Cellars, though those have been withdrawn now.
Lara, who happens to be Mick Jagger’s goddaughter, splits her time between London and Italy. She’s been vocal about how rising rents are affecting their business, stressing the need for a quick resolution.
Talks have been happening for a while, but it seems the holiday season has put a bit of a delay on things. Both Shaftesbury Capital and Buchler Phillips were contacted for comments, but the Boglione family chose to stay quiet for now.