The British operations of Claire’s, the equipment retailer, have collapsed into administration simply 4 months after their final brush with insolvency, placing greater than 1,000 excessive avenue jobs in danger.
Sky Information understands that insolvency practitioners from Kroll had been formally appointed as directors to Claire’s UK and Eire earlier on Monday.
It comes three weeks after Sky Information revealed that the chain’s proprietor, Modella Capital, filed a discover of intention to nominate directors to each Claire’s and TOFS, the low cost retailer it additionally acquired final yr.
In an announcement on Monday night, Kroll mentioned: “Philip Dakin, Benjamin Wiles and Janet Burt of Kroll Advisory Ltd had been appointed as joint directors of CAUKI Ltd on 26 January 2026.
“The corporate is continuous to commerce throughout this era.”
Modella purchased the corporate final September, a number of months after Claire’s had filed for insolvency in each the US and the UK.
Retail analysts are sceptical {that a} purchaser will emerge for lots of the remaining 156 Claire’s shops in Britain and Eire.
Sources near the scenario mentioned earlier this month {that a} mixture of presidency coverage – with a considerably elevated tax burden positioned on the retail trade – and calls for from landlords to take again swathes of Claires’ retailers, had rendered the way forward for the chain unviable.
The retail trade continues to face important headwinds, with chains together with Poundland having closed important numbers of outlets.
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Modella additionally owns companies together with WH Smith’s historic excessive avenue property, which it has rebranded as TG Jones, in addition to Hobbycraft.
Claire’s had beforehand traded from practically 300 retailers within the UK, however has been hit by modifications in client behaviour amongst its conventional teenage buyer base.
Vital numbers of jobs had been misplaced in restructuring processes previous to Modella’s buy of the enterprise.
