The company behind Sandown’s Le Goût de la Mer has entered liquidation owing more than £75,000 – including over £21,000 to staff – with the building, more commonly known as The Bandstand, now back on the market.
A.B. Sur Mesure London Ltd, which operated the French restaurant from the prominent Culver Parade site, has collapsed with debts owed to employees, HMRC, suppliers and finance companies.
The biggest impact is on staff, with 13 employees collectively owed £21,426.82 in unpaid wages, holiday pay, pay in lieu of notice and other employment-related sums.
The company also owes £53,970.51 to creditors, including £14,500 to HMRC, £11,937 to Federal Capital Ltd and £6,380.80 to Quantum Finance.
Several Isle of Wight businesses have also been left out of pocket, with 11 local firms collectively owed more than £12,000.
We’ve Got Crabs is owed £3,690.50, J&B Wholesale £1,464.26, The Tomato Stall £1,403.77 and DJ Hunt Fruit and Vegetables £1,232.32. Other Island creditors include Majestic in Wootton, Sandown Storage, Sandham Gardens, Island Foods, Medina Food Service, Newsgents and Wight Pest Control.
By the time the company entered liquidation, just £109.10 was estimated to be available for preferential creditors, with the overall deficiency put at £75,288.23.
Le Goût de la Mer, operated by Hana and Alexandre Bourgeois, was the latest restaurant business to take on The Bandstand – adding another chapter to a turbulent few years for the landmark seafront building.
The former musical bandstand was bought from the Isle of Wight Council in 2013 and reopened as The Bandstand restaurant in 2015. That business later closed before the team behind Off the Rails in Yarmouth took over the venue in 2024.
Their incarnation of The Bandstand also subsequently shut, with Le Goût de la Mer becoming the next restaurant to trade from the building when it opened in April this year.
Just months later, in the height of summer, Le Goût de la Mer announced it was ‘temporarily’ closing its doors. The company behind the restaurant has now entered liquidation.
The property itself is now back up for sale, with commercial agent Scotcher & Co marketing the freehold at a guide price of £295,000, including fixtures, fittings and equipment.
