{"id":3929,"date":"2026-01-05T19:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T19:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=3929"},"modified":"2026-01-05T19:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T19:57:08","slug":"thousands-of-high-street-jobs-at-risk-after-claires-and-the-original-factory-shop-go-into-administration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=3929","title":{"rendered":"Thousands of high street jobs at risk after Claire\u2019s and The Original Factory Shop go into administration"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Two major\u00a0high street<\/a>\u00a0chains have been put into administration, putting around 2,500 UK staff at risk of redundancy.<\/p>\n

Claire\u2019s Accessories and The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) are the latest victims of Britain\u2019s broken high streets after attempts to rescue the brands failed,Modella Capital has said.<\/p>\n

It will mean 1,355 employees in the UK and Ireland at 154 Claire\u2019s shops will be put at risk, and 1,220 staff across 140 TOFS\u2019 stores.<\/p>\n

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The Original Factory Shop has 140 stores across the UK (Picture: In Pictures via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A spokesperson for the brand\u2019s owner said: \u2018Very sadly, we have had to initiate insolvency proceedings for The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) and Claire\u2019s Accessories UK & Ireland.<\/p>\n

\u2018This has been a very tough decision. We have worked intensively in an effort to save both businesses, having made last-ditch attempts to rescue them, but neither has a realistic possibility of trading profitably again.<\/p>\n

\u2018In these circumstances, administration is the only option. In both cases, the legacy effects of trading prior to our ownership left them highly vulnerable.<\/p>\n

\u2018The climate on the high street remains extremely challenging and TOFS and Claire\u2019s are not alone in experiencing difficulties.<\/p>\n

\u2018This is borne out by recent Sensormatic statistics and other data sources suggesting an alarming drop-off in pre-Christmas footfall.<\/p>\n

\u2018A combination of very weak consumer confidence, highly adverse\u00a0government<\/a>\u00a0fiscal policies and continued cost inflation is causing many established and much-loved businesses to suffer badly.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s a simple fact that if retailers can\u2019t make money, they risk having to close \u2013 and jobs across the country are lost.\u2019<\/p>\n

The jewellery and accessories business\u00a0filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators<\/a>\u00a0in August \u2013 with Interpath expected to take on the role in the coming days.<\/p>\n

Three stores \u2013 London Oxford Street West, Macclesfield and Limerick, Ireland \u2013 have already closed,\u00a0Metro\u00a0<\/strong>understands.<\/p>\n

Why are so many shops closing in 2025?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Claire\u2019s has more than 280 stores across the UK, but the business incurred losses of around \u00a325 million over the last few years prompting it to file for administration.<\/p>\n

Sean Moran, restructuring and insolvency partner at law firm,\u00a0Shakespeare Martineau,<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0said the rise of new online stories, the popularity of social media platforms, and US President Donald Trump\u2019s recent tariff hikes could all be factors in the retailer\u2019s demise.<\/p>\n

He told BAD VIBES: \u2018The fashion<\/a>\u00a0and accessories space has been flooded with new competition in recent years.<\/p>\n

\u2018From new online stores pushing the boundaries of fast fashion prices, like Shein and Temu, which benefit from low value import loopholes, to entirely new retail platforms surging in popularity, like Instagram and TikTok, the retailers largely \u2018bricks and mortar\u2019 presence has struggled to compete.<\/p>\n

\u2018Ongoing geopolitical considerations, including Trump\u2019s much publicised tariff onslaught, combined with a general downturn in consumer and high street spending, created a perfect storm for the well-loved brand.\u2019<\/p>\n

Claire\u2019s is not the only brand to be facing tough times \u2013\u00a0M&S is closing<\/a>\u00a0almost a dozen of its in-store caf\u00e9s, while Amazon announced it is closing down\u00a0all 19 Amazon Fresh food stores in London<\/a>, just four years after the concept launched in the capital.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Two major\u00a0high street\u00a0chains have been put into administration, putting around 2,500 UK staff at risk of redundancy. Claire\u2019s Accessories and The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) are the latest victims of Britain\u2019s broken high streets after attempts to rescue the brands failed,Modella Capital has said. It will mean 1,355 employees in the UK and Ireland […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t