The former chairman of cafe chain Patisserie Valerie says he wanted to flee the UK after the company collapsed into administration earlier this year. Patisserie Valerie was put into administration in January, despite then boss Luke Johnson lending the business £10 million of his own money to try and keep it afloat. Former chairman of Patisserie Valerie Luke Johnson says he wanted to flee the UK after the company collapsed into administration earlier this yearThe 57-year-old wrote in The Times today that he developed 'chronic insomnia' and rarely left the house when the company collapsed, which forced him to announce redundancies. Luke Johnson's private equity firm Risk Capital Partners purchased a controlling stake in Patisserie Holdings - parent company of Patisserie Valerie - in 2006, growing the chain from eight outlets to 192. Mr Johnson was previously chairman of Channel 4, Pizza Express and The Royal Society of Arts.

Source: Daily Mail June 09, 2019 11:17 UTC