Up to 3,000 jobs are on the line as the owner of Frankie and Benny's announced it was going to close 125 of its sites across the country.

The Restaurant Group said it was seeking approval from its landlords for a deal that would let it reduce the number of restaurants it runs, and negotiate lower rents for many of those left over.

It said the hospitality industry was facing "well documented" problems, after the coronavirus pandemic forced many in the sector to close their doors.

If landlords approve the deal, known as a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), it will leave the firm's leisure arm with about 160 sites.

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It will also allow it to exit about 25 restaurants which have already been closed.

The Restaurant Group also owns pan-Asian chain Wagamama, and runs several pubs and concessions in airports. These will not be affected by the news, it said.

The sites that will close are "principally" Frankie and Benny's restaurants, it added.

"The issues facing our sector are well documented and we have already taken decisive action to improve our liquidity, reduce our cost base and downsize our operations," said chief executive Andy Hornby.

"The proposed CVA will deliver an appropriately-sized estate for our Leisure business to ensure we are well positioned despite the very challenging market conditions facing the casual dining sector.

"I would like to wholeheartedly thank all of my TRG colleagues for their continued understanding and extraordinary commitment during this unprecedented period."

The British Property Federation said it had been talking to The Restaurant Group before it proposed the CVA, but it would be up to individual landlords to decide how to vote on the deal.

The federation's chief executive Melanie Leech said: "These situations are never easy, particularly now for the retail and hospitality businesses on our high streets at the sharp end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Property owners, however, need to take into consideration the impact on their investors, including the millions of people whose savings and pensions are invested in commercial property, as they vote on any CVA proposal."

The Restaurant Group told investors last week it was struggling even before the coronavirus hit.

More than 500 jobs are set to be lost after Monsoon Accessorize entered administration, as the hit from coronavirus threw its turnaround plan off course.

The business expects to make 545 staff redundant as it closes 35 stores, despite Monsoon's founder Peter Simon buying the business out of administration almost immediately.

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However, the deal will transfer around 450 jobs to Adena Brands, owned by Mr Simon, which has promised to inject £15 million into the business to allow the remaining stores to stay open.

Mr Simon will try to renegotiate with landlords to get a better deal on the remaining 162 store leases.

He will hope to save as many as 100 stores and 2,300 jobs.

Formerly a majority owner of the business, Mr Simon agreed with administrators he would buy the business almost as soon as it slid into the process on Monday.

He said: "Ever since I opened the first Monsoon store in Beauchamp Place in 1973, this business has been my passion and my life, and I did not want to see it fall victim to this unprecedented crisis."

The firm had insisted a turnaround plan was going well after it negotiated a company voluntary arrangement with landlords.

However, while the business was trying to heal, all of its stores were forced to close as Covid-19 hit the country.

"Both Monsoon and Accessorize were trading well before the coronavirus pandemic but the business simply could not withstand the financial impact of having to close all its UK, franchise and joint venture stores for almost three months," Mr Simon said.

"This deal secures the future of both Monsoon and Accessorize and means we can continue to serve our customers online without a pause. In addition, we will now try to save as many of our stores as possible, depending on the outcome of various discussions with landlords. I would like to thank landlords for the helpfulness and enormous forbearance they have shown so far, which has enabled us to get to this point."

Tony Wright, joint administrator and partner at FRP, said: "We had to move quickly and decisively to secure the future of Monsoon and Accessorize, as many jobs as possible and the presence of these two iconic brands on the UK high street.

"After assessing a range of options this deal achieves those goals with least disruption to the business in an already challenging retail environment.

"We are now committed to working with Adena Brands as they enter talks with landlords to agree future terms across their store portfolio and look to transfer more jobs to the buyer.

"We'll also be working with the Redundancy Payments Service to support all affected employees through this difficult time."

Retailer JD Sports has confirmed all its stores across England will reopen from June 15, as lockdown restrictions ease further.

The chain said its entire 309-strong estate in England will reopen to customers across shopping centres, high streets and retail parks, after the Government gave the go-ahead for non-essential retail to restart.

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JD Sports will also open its high street and open air stores in Northern Ireland from June 12, but shopping centres there will remain closed.

The group is planning to reopen across Scotland and Wales when lockdown restrictions are eased.

Retailers across the sector are preparing to reopen on Monday, with the likes of Marks & Spencer and a slimmed-down Debenhams among those once again opening their doors to customers.

But shoppers will see closed changing rooms, restrictions on touching goods and one-way systems in place, as part of measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

JD Sports said it will be allowing a limited number of shoppers in stores, providing hand sanitising stations, protective screens at tills, separating returned stock for 72 hours to reduce transmission, and closing changing rooms, in line with Government guidance.

It has also given staff social distance training ahead of reopening, while each store will have a "host" near the entrance to manage access and answer customer questions on safety measures.

Peter Cowgill, executive chairman at JD Sports, said: "Following 12 weeks of lockdown, we recognise the continued importance of maintaining social distancing and a safe environment in which to work and shop, and therefore have taken all necessary steps and precautions to give our staff and customers the confidence that they can safely return to our stores."