Oddbins: 37 shops sold

Thirty-seven Oddbins shops have been sold as a going concern to EFB (European Food Brokers) Ltd.

Deloitte, the consultancy firm administering Oddbins, has confirmed the sale but has not disclosed the price, which is believed to be in the region of £4m.

The Oddbins brand name has been sold separately.

EFB (European Food Brokers) Ltd, the parent company of drinks business EFB Retail Ltd, has been the leading contender for the deal for some days.

European Food Brokers Ltd, based in Walsall in the West Midlands, was established by Raj Chatha in 1991.
It is a veteran of buying up bankrupt drinks chains.

In October 2009 it bought 109 Booze Buster shops from the failed chain Wine Cellar, and in December 2009 it was unsuccessful in its bid to buy 200 Thresher shops from First Quench.

The drinks sector of EFB Ltd trades as Whitalls Wines Ltd and is based at Château Pleck in Walsall.