Claire’s reportedly set to close up to 145 stores across UK

Accessories retailer Claire’s is believed to be preparing to shutter 145 stores across the UK and Ireland on the back of securing a new owner for its business in the two regions.

The move comes after Modella Capital stepped up to rescue the retailer from administration last week. The deal, however, only involved the purchase of 156 Claire’s stores, throwing the future of the additional 145 locations into doubt.

While the private equity firm had said some store closures and job losses were “inevitable” as a result of the acquisition, Claire’s administrator Interpath confirmed it would explore options for the at-risk locations they continued to operate.

Some local UK media outlets have now reported that closing down sales have already begun at certain locations. Exact closure dates and the number of impacted locations varies, with some media stating 121 stores are set to close, while others have suggested all unaccounted for locations are shuttering.

FashionUnited has contacted Interpath and Modella Capital with requests to comment on the reports.

Claire’s UK business collapsed into administration early August, days after its US counterpart filed for bankruptcy. The American business and 950 US stores were eventually snapped up by Ames Watson, which then struck up an agreement with Modella, allowing it to rescue 156 UK stores.