Leon Exits Administration After Creditors Back CVA Unanimously
Health-focused fast food brand Leon has emerged from administration following a unanimous vote in favour of its company voluntary arrangement (CVA), paving the way for a fresh start under the stewardship of its returning co-founder.
The CVA, which was first tabled in December 2025 as part of a strategy to shed loss-making sites, received the backing of all voting creditors — including HMRC — a result described as a significant vote of confidence in the brand’s recovery plan. Co-founder John Vincent, who had previously sold Leon to forecourt operator EG Group for £100m in 2021, subsequently reacquired the then 71-strong chain when he injected £2.5m into the business to support its restructuring.
The brand had passed to Asda’s ownership as part of a broader £2bn acquisition of EG Group’s UK operations.
Leon now moves forward with a streamlined estate of 43 restaurants, 23 of which operate under franchise agreements.
Vincent has pledged to return the brand to its founding principles, vowing to bring Leon “back to its best” and pursue a strategy of sustainable growth. Speaking following the announcement, he called out what he described as an excessive tax burden on hospitality operators, arguing that the combined weight of VAT, business rates and employer national insurance contributions was damaging Britain’s high streets.
“High streets are not being destroyed by the market — they are being destroyed by our own government,” he said, before striking a more optimistic note about the brand’s direction. “We are a company built on positivity, so we need to focus on what we can do to rejuvenate the industry and help people live and eat well.”
Vincent also pointed to Leon’s founding purpose as a blueprint for its next chapter, recalling its 2004 launch as a pioneer in gut health, anti-inflammatory nutrition and the campaign against ultra-processed foods and excess sugar — a positioning he indicated would be reasserted in the months ahead.
The brand was founded twenty-two years ago by Vincent alongside food campaigner Henry Dimbleby and chef Allegra McEvedy. Vincent was subsequently awarded an MBE in 2015 in recognition of his contribution to improving nutritional standards in schools.
However, Leon’s health-led identity came under pressure during the EG Group and Asda years, when the chain drew criticism for expanding into higher-calorie menu territory. Administrators’ filings published earlier this year revealed the business had accumulated losses in excess of £60m in the five years following the original takeover.
Looking ahead, Vincent has outlined plans to overhaul the menu in line with Leon’s original ethos, wind down the brand’s coffee subscription scheme by the end of the year, and revive a martial arts-inspired staff training programme — a hallmark of the company’s earlier culture.