Peach Tree restaurant in Shrewsbury saved from closure

The Peach Tree has seen trade fall since the pandemic

A well-known restaurant which stopped trading after 25 years will reopen after a new leaseholder was found.

The Peach Tree, Shrewsbury, announced last week it was closing "with a very heavy heart" after suffering substantial losses through the year.

The venue, which was name checked in a 2012 film based on the character Judge Dredd, was preparing to disappoint customers who had Christmas bookings.

However, it confirmed a business had signed a lease on Tuesday.

In a post on social media, the Peach Tree said: "We are thrilled to announce that as of midday today Michael Halford and The Shire Collection are now officially the new bosses at The Peach Tree, Havana Republic and Spirit Venue."

The restaurant ceased trading last Thursday with immediate effect.

Paul Monahan, from the venue, said sales were down by 40% since the Covid pandemic, while Brexit had made it harder to recruit staff.

Mr Monahan said it was the "end of an era", but hoped someone else would "breathe new life" into the venue.

The movie Dredd featured a 200-storey central location called Peach Tree Towers, in honour of Judge Dredd creator John Wagner and 2000AD contributor Robbie Morrison, who both hail from Shrewsbury.

Hundreds of people expressed sadness at the restaurant's closure on social media, with some saying it was their regular meeting place, or remembering "lovely meals" and "wonderful" meet-ups.

The main location in the 2012 Judge Dredd movie was named Peach Tree Towers after the Shrewsbury venue

And on Monday, there was a hopeful post on Facebook from managers who thanked well wishers and said the venue's owners had been "inundated" by many experienced hospitality operators "wanting to take over the venue as quickly as possible to save Christmas".

After the new owners were confirmed a day later, the restaurant said their "immediate focus is to roll up their sleeves and bring the magic of Christmas to The Peach Tree for each and every party booking this December".

Mr Halford, who runs other venues in Market Drayton and Shrewsbury, said: "The Peach Tree and Havana Republic, and C:21 as it was previously called, are all iconic and much-loved venues which have been trail-blazers throughout the last couple of decades, and I look forward to taking all the venues to the next stage. It's exciting times ahead."