Bakery chain Le Pain Quotidien is on the verge of collapse, in a move that could place more than 500 high street jobs at risk.
The Belgian-owned company is expected to appoint administrators as soon as this week, according to Sky News. An emergency sale process for the business, which trades from 26 sites in Britain, has set a deadline of Wednesday for offers.
Alvarez & Marsal, the professional services firm, is overseeing the auction and is likely to be appointed as administrator unless a solvent sale is concluded in the coming days, insiders said on Monday.
The consultancy firm is also managing the sale of footwear chain office which went on the market last week. The high street chain's South African owner, Truworths International put