Patisserie Valerie to collapse without swift cash injection

The cafe’s parent company Patisserie Holdings made the admission in a market announcement on Thursday, after being slapped with a winding up petition over unpaid taxes and unearthing potentially fraudulent accounting irregularities a day earlier.

The company operates two outlets in Belfast, at Donegall Square West and Castle Lane.

Patisserie Holdings said: “The company, in conjunction with its professional advisers, has during the last 24 hours, undertaken further investigation into the financial status of the company.

“The board has now reached the conclusion that there is a material shortfall between the reported financial status and the current financial status of the business,” the company added.

“Without an immediate injection of capital, the directors are of the view that that is no scope for the business to continue trading in its current form.”

It said the company’s directors and professional advisers are “assessing all options available to the business to keep it trading”.

Patisserie Holdings said it would update the market in due course.

The company’s future was originally thrown into question on Wednesday, when shares were suspended following the discovery of a major black hole in its accounts.

Patisserie Holdings said it has been notified of “significant, and potentially fraudulent, accounting irregularities and therefore a potential material mis-statement of the company’s accounts”.

This significantly affected the company’s cash position, with the firm saying it could lead to a “material change” in its overall financial position.