Gourmet Burger Kitchen saw losses dive for the past year after it took a hit of almost £16m hit from the closure of 24 of its restaurants.

The casual dining chain, which is owned by South African group Famous Brands, also saw sales slide in the year to February 2019 after it was weighed down by a restructuring programme it launched in October last year.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen closed 24 sites with the loss of around 250 jobs through the Company's Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) process.

The raft of closures resulted in a £15.7 million one-off cost which helped pull the company down to a £24.3 million pre-tax loss, from a £6.3 million loss a year earlier, according to newly released Companies House accounts.

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Gourmet Burger Kitchen, which now has 70 outlets across the UK, saw its sales decrease by 7% to £76.1 million during the period.

It said the decline was "driven by site closures, difficult trading conditions in the wake of economic uncertainty prompted by Brexit, continued oversupply in the sector and a significant number of new entrants".

Last month, Famous Brands said the business has made "good progress" following the CVA and has returned to like-for-like sales growth over the six months to August 2019.

Darren Hele, chief executive of Famous Brands, said Gourmet Burger Kitchen saw its UK sales fell 13% in the half-year, but had significantly reduced its operating loss.

The owner of the Zizzi and Ask Italian restaurant chains, Azzurri Group, reduced its losses and saw rising sales over the past year, despite a turbulent period for the UK dining sector.

The company said it has been boosted by the continued expansion of food-to-go brand Coco Di Mama in 2019, which was accelerated by the acquisition of rival Pod's 13 high street sites.

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Sales for the group increased by 7% year on year to £299.4 million on the back of the new openings, as well as like-for-like growth across each of its four brands, which also includes the Radio Alice pizza chain.

Azzurri, which was formed by the £250 million acquisition of Zizzi and Ask by Bridgepoint in 2015, narrowed its pre-tax losses to £16.3 million for the 12 months to June, compared with a £23.4 million loss last year.

It said 10 openings and 29 refurbishments over the period helped it remain confident despite "ongoing sector-wide challenges".

Insurance giant Aviva said it plans to retain its arms in Singapore and China following media speculation over the future of its businesses in Asia.

However, the company confirmed that it is continuing with a strategic review of its operations in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Indonesia, which could result in a sale.

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The FTSE 100 company said it has decided to hold on to its Singapore division following a thorough review, after concluding it would be in the best interest of shareholders.

Both the Singapore and China units delivered double-digit operating profit growth in 2018 and are earning "attractive returns", it added.

Aviva also said that both countries are expected to help boost group dividends in 2019.

It is still working with its partners in Hong Kong to consider options for the division which has been impacted by political turmoil in the region.