紅茶のウィタード（Whittard）が経営破綻したそうです。イギリス在住者だったらおそらく誰もが知っている、有名な紅茶のお店で、イギリス全土で130店舗もあるそうなので、たいていの街では見かけると思います。
アイスランドのランズバンキが取引を停止したことが引き金になったようで、まさに今回の金融危機の影響が直撃した形ですね。ただ、ファンドに売却され、少なくとも年末まで営業は継続されるとのこと（来年はどうなるのでしょう？）。
経営再建して欲しいですね。
以下、関連記事です。Timesの方が詳しく書かれています。
英の老舗紅茶店「ウィタード」が経営破綻、資金繰り悪化で
【ロンドン＝是枝智】創業１２２年の英国の老舗紅茶店「ウィタード・オブ・チェルシー」は２３日夕、裁判所に対し、法定管財人による管理を申請し、事実上、経営破綻(はたん)した。
英メディアによると、金融危機の影響で、主力取引銀行の一つで、国有化されたアイスランドのランズバンキが取引を停止したため資金繰りに行き詰まった。管財人に指名された監査法人アーンスト・アンド・ヤングによると、ウィタードは英投資ファンド「ＥＰＩＣ」に売却され、その下で再建を目指すという。店舗の営業は当面継続される。
ウィタードは１８８６年に創業した紅茶やコーヒーの販売店。ロンドンをはじめ英全土に約１３０店を展開している。従業員約９５０人。紅茶は世界的に有名で、日本にも店舗がある。
（2008年12月24日10時42分 読売新聞）
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/atmoney/news/20081224-OYT1T00262.htm
December 23, 2008
Whittard to become UK’s latest retail casualty
Retailers are hoping that a last-minute rush will avert a bloodbath on the high street this Christmas as figures released yesterday showed that the number of shoppers remained well down on last year.
The grim news came as Whittard of Chelsea, the upmarket tea chain, stood on the brink of administration last night. The 122-year-old chain, which is backed by Landsbanki, the collapsed Icelandic bank, called in Ernst & Young as standby administrator after Landsbanki cut its funding lines, it is understood.
（後略）
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article5386116.ece
December 24, 2008
Collapse of Whittard and Officer’s Club threatens hundreds more jobs
Whittard of Chelsea, the 122-year-old tea and coffee chain, went into administration yesterday as the British high street braced itself for a Christmas bloodbath.
Whittard’s 138 stores will stay open at least until the end of the year after the company’s administrator, Ernst & Young, negotiated a sale to Epic Private Equity, a specialist investor that already owns the novelty retailer Past Times.
Epic’s acquisition of Whittard will ensure that the brand survives, as well as safeguarding the majority of the chain’s 950 jobs. Epic will also take control of Boaters Coffee Co, Whittard’s subsidiary, which sells flavoured coffee. However, the sale still puts hundreds of jobs at risk because Epic is expected to consolidate Past Times, which has 100 outlets, and Whittard stores, closing shops in towns where both retailers have a presence.
Restructuring experts expect several more high street names to go into administration today as their lenders close them down before they have to pay rent bills due on Christmas Day.
The Officers Club, a 160-store men’s clothing chain, is expected to be put into administration today by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which has been standing by for the appointment for several days.
Baugur, Whittard’s Icelandic owner, will lose all the money that it invested in the company since buying it in 2005. Whittard’s lender, the collapsed Icelandic bank Landsbanki, stopped putting money into the chain several weeks ago. Problems are growing for Baugur, which owns stakes in other well-known British retailers, including House of Fraser, and Whistles, the fashion chain that slashed its prices by 50 per cent yesterday.
Baugur declined to comment yesterday, but a source close to the company conceded that Mosaic, its subsidiary that has stakes in fashion stores such as Karen Millen, is struggling with very difficult trading conditions. It is understood that Baugur is looking for a new lender for Mosaic, which is backed by Kaupthing, another collapsed Icelandic bank. Baugur is also considering putting more cash into Mosaic next year.
Whistles, which is run by a former director of Topshop, Jane Shepherdson, is also backed by Icelandic banks that have collapsed. However, a source close to Baugur said that none of its other companies would go into administration over Christmas. “I’ll eat my hat if that happens,” the source said.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article5391833.ece
さらににもう一つ。
Whittard collapses as EPIC plans a deal
