The operator of the Wagamama and Frankie & Benny’s restaurant chains has introduced plans to exit from about 35 uneconomic eating places in its leisure division because it seeks to whittle down its least profitable companies.

The Restaurant Group (TRG) introduced the transfer alongside a three-year plan to cut back debt and enhance margins in what was broadly thought to be a riposte geared toward Oasis Administration Firm, an activist investor with a 6.5 per cent stake.

Nonetheless, the modest scale of the disposals disillusioned the market, which had been hoping that the group may point out a willingness to promote its airport concessions and Brunning & Worth gastropubs. Shares within the firm fell by nearly 6p, or 13 per cent, to 39.5p in morning buying and selling.

Requested whether or not the share worth fall indicated that his plans didn’t go far sufficient, Andy Hornby, the TRG chief government, mentioned: “The shares are nonetheless up 15 per cent on the week and clearly there was plenty of conjecture about whether or not disposals could be introduced right this moment.”

He added that the absence of a extra vital strategic transfer on disposals didn’t imply the corporate had dominated something out. “We’re actually comfy in our natural plan however we’ll proceed to evaluation broader choices and we’ll replace the market as and when applicable,” he mentioned.

TRG, previously referred to as Metropolis Centre Eating places, entered the pandemic with about 650 websites within the UK, plus a largely franchised abroad enterprise. It has since shed some 250 shops for a complete of about 410 at current.

Hornby, 56, who grew to become chief government in 2019, responded to the corporate’s parlous place by placing most of its Chiquito Mexican eating places into administration and shedding 125 websites in leisure parks, largely Frankie & Benny’s, via an organization voluntary association.

It additionally has a 20 per cent stake in a three way partnership working seven Wagamama eating places within the US and greater than 50 franchise eating places abroad. Each models are being expanded.

Oasis, which is predicated in Hong Kong, broke cowl final month when it accused TRG’s board of “strategic stagnation” and known as on the board to “realign its priorities” and handle its poor shareholder expertise.

The investor, which launched an assault on Premier Meals six years in the past, mentioned that TRG had presided over “one of many worst-performing share costs of any UK leisure firm” and argued it was “materially worse than its closest friends”.

Oasis claimed that TRG’s efficiency was disproportionately worse than that justified by sector headwinds, and that the image was additional exacerbated when the corporate’s three fairness raises since 2018, with proceeds totalling £547 million, are taken into consideration.

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It mentioned it needed the corporate to have interaction with shareholders to “discover all choices for a administration change within the close to time period”, and subsequently mooted the concept that Hornby ought to step down as chief government. It has additionally requested for a seat on the board, however has been rebuffed.

Earlier this week, TRG had indicated that it had spoken to the overwhelming majority of its greatest shareholders and located no help for Oasis’s views, though final night time Irenic Capital Administration, which is believed to have a stake under 3 per cent, was mentioned by Bloomberg to have held personal discussions with TRG over related points.

Some analysts share the view that larger disposals might crystallise larger worth. Douglas Jack, at Peel Hunt, mentioned: “If one utilized a sum-of-the components valuation, we imagine it could be potential to attain a worth for the pubs that wipes out the online debt, and doubtlessly 64p a share for Wagamama, earlier than contemplating any worth that’s in concessions and leisure. We estimate that promoting all however Wagamama and shopping for again shares might web a worth of no less than 92p a share.”

The closures mooted by TRG, to be primarily achieved through lease expiries, break clauses and disposals, will happen over the subsequent two years, with a lot of the shops being Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito eating places positioned subsequent to cinemas and bowling lanes.

Hornby, previously chief government of HBOS, dismissed options that the group was falling quick, arguing that its Wagamama, pubs and concessions companies have been all outperforming their respective markets, performing strongly each final yr and within the first few weeks of the current yr.

Within the yr to January 1, the group lifted gross sales by 38.7 per cent to £883 million, helped by the profit for its concessions enterprise of airport reopenings, with adjusted underlying earnings up from £81.2 million to £83 million. It made an working statutory lack of £49.7 million because of distinctive gadgets totalling £117.5 million. These have been primarily a non-cash hit from its leisure division because of “vital inflationary and value of residing pressures”.

TRG mentioned its current amending of its financial institution debt had supplied £140 million of headroom, whereas its buy of rate of interest caps would put it aside about £4 million. It mentioned it had hedged its utilities up till 2025 and foods and drinks price inflation was softening because of short-term contracts with suppliers.

Hornby mentioned the group had made a “very encouraging” begin to the yr throughout all its divisions, with VAT-adjusted like-for-like gross sales for the eight weeks to February 26 up 9 per cent at Wagamama, 14 per cent in pubs, 56 per cent at concessions and a pair of per cent for leisure. He was notably happy on the rise in volumes of dine-in meals, suggesting that buyers have been beginning to exit extra, though they have been spending “very, very barely much less”.