THE Handmade Burger Company, which has six branches in Scotland, has collapsed into administration.

The Birmingham-based chain of 29 UK restaurants, each selling up to 40 different types of burger, had been in business for more than ten years having been established by brothers Chris, Richard and Matthew Sargeant.

Handmade has branches in the Braehead and Silverburn Shopping Centres, and also in Aberdeen, East Kilbride, Ocean Terminal in Leith and St Vincent Street in Glasgow.

The National understands the East Kilbride and Braehead restaurants were closed for business yesterday, but those at Ocean Terminal and Silverburn were still trading.

Administrators from Leonard Curtis Recovery confirmed that nine branches across the UK were to close immediately. They also confirmed they were trying to achieve an arrangement to deal with the firm’s debts, failing which they would try to sell it as a going concern.

The firm issued a statement yesterday confirming it had been appointed as Joint Administrators of both The Sargeant Partnership Limited and Hand Made Burger Company LLP, which operate as one business under the name Handmade Burger Co.

The statement added: “Regrettably, nine of the 29 restaurants were closed on appointment.

“The remaining restaurants continue to trade as normal under the Joint Administrators’ control and they hope to find a solution which will enable as many jobs as possible to be preserved.”