The high street was under pressure before the pandemic – and many retailers are now struggling to survive
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High street retailers across the UK are facing a bleak winter.
Non-essential shops in England reopened on December 2 after weeks of being closed under national restrictions. But for many retailers closure at the busiest trading period of the year could come at a high price.
The sector has been in decline for some years, but the pandemic has accelerated the downturn and many once-thriving retailers are now struggling to survive.
According to Bristol-based chambers of commerce Business West, the latest restrictions could be "ruinous" for some businesses.
Despite an uptick in the sector over the summer, there is a marked difference between the booming online retailers and bricks-and-mortar stores, many of which had already seen footfall shrinking.
“With a second wave of the pandemic underway, we have seen a record increase in the number of shuttered shops," said Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium.
"Shopping centres fared the worst among retail sites due to the higher proportion of fashion outlets, where consumer demand has been hit hardest.
"The uncertain climate has also meant that even those looking to expand are holding off making investments in new stores. As a result, we expect to see the retail vacancy rate continue to rise."
But which UK stores have already gone into administration in 2020?
Business Live takes a look at data gathered by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR), which reveals the retailers that have called in administrators this year.
Women's clothing chain Bonmarché fell into administration on Wednesday, December 2, for the second time in just over a year, putting more than 1,500 jobs at risk.
RSM Restructuring Advisory, which has been appointed to handle the administration, said all of Bonmarche's 225 stores will remain open and there are no redundancies yet as it looks to agree a rescue deal.
Damian Webb, joint administrator of RSM Restructuring Advisory, said: "Bonmarche remains an attractive brand with a loyal customer base.
"It is our intention to continue to trade whilst working closely with management to explore the options for the business.
"We will shortly be marketing the business for sale, and based on the interest to date we anticipate there will be a number of interested parties."
Sir Philip Green's Arcadia Group went into administration on Monday, November 30, putting 13,000 jobs at risk.
The company owns a number of major brands including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Burton and Miss Selfridge.
The retailer appointed Deloitte as administrators after the pandemic “severely impacted” sales, it said. Stores will continue to trade, according to Deloitte, and no redundancies are being announced as yet.
Arcadia has 444 UK stores and another 22 overseas, and more than 9,000 of its employees on currently on furlough.
ASOS, the UK online fashion retailer, has acquired the brands and websites of Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and the athleisure HIIT brands but the deal excludes the retail stores.
Peacocks and Jaeger, which are part of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) Group, fell into administration on Thursday (November 19) after failing to find a buyer.
The two companies were put into administration after a two-week deadline to find a buyer passed. Some 4,700 jobs are now at risk.
Jaeger runs 76 stores and concessions and has 347 employees while Peacocks has 4,369 staff across 423 stores.
Tony Wright of administrators FRP Advisory, said: "Jaeger and Peacocks are attractive brands that have suffered the well-known challenges that many retailers face at present.
"We are in advanced discussions with a number of parties and working hard to secure a future for both businesses."
No redundancies have been announced yet and no stores have closed.
The EWM Group, which also owns the Peacocks and Jaeger brands, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators in October. The group is owned by British billionaire Philip Day.
Steve Simpson, chief executive of the EWM group, told BusinessLive's sister site, The Mirror, the past seven months had been "extremely difficult" and warned that closures would be "inevitable" as the brand fought for its survival.
According to the FT, this week the EWM was given more time to find buyers or new investors as an alternative to putting it into administration.
It reportedly said in a message to staff that it was “speaking to a number of parties” interested in investing or acquiring parts of the business, the FT said.
The value clothing retailer, previously called Mackays, went into administrators and was bought by its previous owners as part of a pre-pack deal to save the business, according to the CRR.
In August, the chain confirmed it wold be closing 47 stores and axing 381 jobs as part of a major restructure to secure the company’s long-term future.
M&Co said it would continue to operate with 218 stores and 2,220 employees after completing the restructuring, having hired Deloitte as administrators in April.
The sportswear and gym retailer, owned by Dave Whelan, fell into administration in August, putting, 1,700 jobs put at risk.
The company said its income was hit by the Government-enforced closure of gyms and stores due to the Covid lockdown.
According to PA, the firm said it would wind down its retail business for good, with its website ceasing trading with immediate effect and closing-down sales starting. DW Sports operated 73 gyms and 75 retail sites across the UK.
However, Fitness First – a sister company of DW – will continue to operate as a separate company and its 43 clubs will be unaffected by the administration.
The bricks-and-mortar retail arm of the prestige shoe company Oliver Sweeney Group was placed in administration in mid-July, according to the CRR.
The company’s seven stores, which include branches in London's Mayfair, Leadenhall Market and Covent Garden, as well as outlets in Leeds and Manchester, will remain permanently closed.
This administration does not affect the wholesale and online business, the CRR reports.
Tim Cooper, Oliver Sweeney's chief executive and cobbler-in-chief, will continue to lead the company.
He told Drapers: “We are disappointed that the stores will no longer continue, but we are confident and excited about the brand going forward online. The online business is performing very well."
The gifts and homeware retailer went into administration in mid-July.
The 50-year-old company had stores in Barnsley, Doncaster, Batley, Huddersfield, Castleford, Pontefract, Wakefield and Wetherby, and had been closed for business since lockdown, with its 70 staff on furlough.
KPMG was appointed as administrator and the business is expected to be liquidated, according to the CRR.
The Gloucester-based glasses company went into administration in July, but Bath-based designer eyewear firm Inspecs bought up the manufacturing arm of the business from administrators BDO for £2.4million.
The deal includeed £1.2million of freehold property for Norville’s Gloucester site and the remainder for stock, plant, IP and contracts.
Norville's operations were undertaken mainly at the company’s headquarters in Gloucester, with smaller bases in Bolton, Seaham and Livingston.
The bed retailer was put into pre-pack administration in June.
Turnaround company Alteri, Benson's existing owner, bought the business out immediately and put £25million into the company to invest in its development, according to the CRR.
Around 200 stores continue to trade (subject to Covid regulations).
A spokesperson for Bensons for Beds said: "Bensons for Beds emerged as a standalone retailer following the restructuring deal that injected £25million of new investment which is being used to grow the business.
They added: "Bensons' dedicated manufacturing site in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, has increased production and recruited an additional 45 staff in the autumn."
The UK's second-largest furniture retailer was put into administration by its owners Alteri Investors on the last day of June – the same day as Benson's for Beds – according to the CRR.
The company, which has 105 stores and 1,575 staff, is reportedly looking to close 20 stores and 240 jobs were made immediately redundant.
Zelf Hussain, Peter Dickens and Yulia Marshall of PwC were appointed as joint administrators.
The company continues to trade and existing orders will be carried out, CRR said.
The retailer of shirts and ties went into pre-pack administration in June, according to the CRR.
The firm had recently been bought by Stonebridge Private Equity through its subsidiary Torque Brands, with the new owner saying that the future of the entire retail sector was facing a "very real threat."
The retailer is to close all of its UK stores and around 600 workers will lose their jobs after the firm said it was going online-only in a bid to save the 120-year-old brand.
"The Torque team has worked to assess all available avenues for the business model going forwards, but having done so, has formed the view that TM Lewin is no longer a viable going concern in its current format," it said.
The book wholesaler, which was founded in a chicken shed in 1968, went into administration last week.
The Norwich-based company appointed Turpin Barker Armstrong as administrators.
According to the CRR, most of its 450-strong workforce were made redundant.
The original owner of the company, Kip Bertram, sold off the business in 1999. He told the BBC the collapse was "very sad for the staff, the city of Norwich and the customers".
JD Sports bought back its Go Outdoors business for £56.5million after pushing it into administration in June.
It said the move would "preserve as many jobs as possible" at Go Outdoors, which sells waterproof clothing, bikes and camping products.
However, JD Sports said it will push forward with a major restructuring of Go Outdoors, which employs 2,400 staff, and intends to "retain the majority" of its retail stores.
The retail group hired administrators from corporate finance firm Deloitte after it saw sales hammered by the coronavirus crisis.
The historic Birmingham retailer founded more than a century ago was placed into administration in June.
The high-end furniture chain has appointed financial services firm Duff & Phelps as administrator while it continues to battle the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.
A statement from Duff & Phelps said the move was necessary to protect the retailer but reassured customers it was business as usual and that orders would be fulfilled.
Lee Longlands was founded in Birmingham in 1902 by Robert Lee and George Longland and they opened their first store at 304 Broad Street, taking advantage of its location next to the canal to bring in timber.
The UK’s largest retailer of oak furniture was saved from the brink of collapse in June after being bought up in a pre-pack administration deal.
The chain was sold for an undisclosed sum to hedge fund Davidson Kempner, saving 1,491 jobs.
The retailer, which operates 105 showrooms in the UK, had been struggling with “adverse trading conditions” caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to administrators Deloitte.
Business operations are continuing as normal, according to Deloitte, and showrooms and warehouses began to reopen last week.
The bakery chain was sold out of administration in a pre-pack deal in mid-June.
The Belgium-owned chain's UK business was bought by a new vehicle, BrunchCo21, according to the CRR.
A total of 11 of its 26 outlets have been closed with the loss of around 200 jobs in stores and the closure of the UK head office.
The new owners are reportedly negotiating a deal with the landlords for the remaining 16 properties.
The fashion chain announced today (June 10) it expects to cut 545 jobs from the business despite founder Peter Simon buying the chain out of administration almost immediately. A total of 35 stores are also expected to close across the UK.
The deal will transfer around 450 jobs to Adena Brands, owned by Mr Simon, which has promised to inject £15million into the business to allow the remaining stores to stay open.
Mr Simon will try to renegotiate with landlords to get a better deal on the remaining 162 store leases.
The clothing retailer is reportedly placing the division that runs its 82 standalone branches into administration, according to ITV, which said 93 jobs are at risk.
The move is reportedly part of a restructure to get rid off loss-making stores and reduce the company's rent bill.
The group reportedly said 822 of the 915 staff affected by the decision will remain with the group.
The UK arm of the luxury lingerie retailer fell into administration in June, putting more than 800 jobs at risk.
The chain has 25 shops in the UK, which are currently closed in line with government lockdown rules.
Auditing firm Deloitte has been appointed as administrator and is now seeking a buyer for the business. It said there would be no immediate redundancies.
The UK arm of Candadian footwear chain Aldo went into administration in May.
Five UK stores have been permanently closed, according to the CRR, leaving eight surviving while the administrators seek new owners for the UK business.
It s not yet clear how many jobs could be affected.
The 50-year-old shoe retailer fell into administration in May after being hit by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Johnsons Shoes operates 12 stores under the brands Johnsons Shoes and Bowleys Fine Shoes.
The retailer has stores in Windsor, Newbury, Staines, Teddington, East Sheen, New Malden, Twickenham, Walton-on-Thames, Northwood, Richmond, Beaconsfield and Farnham.
All of the retailer’s 145 staff have been furloughed while the administrators seek a buyer to try and "secure jobs and get the best deal for creditors".
The luxury luggage retailer, which was founded in 1914, went into administration last month and 164 people were made redundant.
Will Wright and Steve Absolom of KPMG’s restructuring practice were appointed joint administrators to Antler Holdings Limited and Antler.
The company operates 18 retail stores and one concession outlet, in addition to selling via their website, Amazon and wholesale to several large retail chains across the UK.
The business employed around 199 members of staff, the majority of whom were placed on furlough before the administrators were appointed.
The company behind Oasis and Warehouse went into administration in April.
Auditing and advisory firm Deloitte was appointed as administrator and it has said all stores will close indefinitely and online sales will be stopped.
The fashion brands have been sold to restructuring business Hilco, according to the Guardian, in a deal which includes stock but not the 92 stores or 437 concessions.
Hannah Baker is BusinessLive's South West Editor. She is based in Bristol but covers the entire region, as well as stories across the wider South of England.
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Email: hannah.baker@reachplc.com
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Speaking in April, Hash Ladha, chief executive of Oasis Warehouse, said: “This is a situation that none of us could have predicted a month ago, and comes as shocking and difficult news for all of us.
“We as a management team have done everything we can to try and save the iconic brands that we love.”
Debenhams confirmed it had formally entered administration at the start of April.
On December 1, JD Sports pulled out of rescue talks with the beleaguered department store chain and Debenhams confirmed a liquidation process had started, putting 12,000 jobs at risk.
It is understood that the collapse of the deal is partly linked to the administration of Arcadia Group, which is the biggest operator of concessions in Debenhams stores.
Online fashion brand BooHoo is to acquire the Debenhams' website, brands and goodwill, but all the physical stores will close.
The retro fashion chain will not reopen any of its shops when the lockdown ends after calling in administrators last month.
However, the owner of Cath Kidston has secured a deal to buy back the brand and its online operations, but this does not include bricks-and-mortar shops.
The closure of stores will lead to the loss of around 900 jobs, according to the Guardian.
Women’s fashion brand Autonomy went into administration in March and all 44 employees were made redundant, according to the CRR.
The retailer had three standalone stores in Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, Bideford in Devon, and Tillicoultry in Scotland, as well as more than 100 concessions across the UK.
All concessions and stores were closed temporarily in line with government guidance – and there are reportedly no plans to re-open them, according to Drapers.
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The furniture company reportedly went into administration at the end of March.
The retailer, which operated online, has experienced two pre-pack administrations before – in 2009 and 2011.
All 43 staff were made redundant, according to the CRR.
Rent-to-own high street retailer BrightHouse went into administration in March, putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk.
The chain had announced plans to axe 30 stores in February in a bid to salvage the company.
Then all stores had to close because of the coronavirus lockdown. It now appears all 240 stores will remain closed and 2,400 employees will lose their jobs, according to Wales Online.
Administrators said the chain's 200,000 customers will need to keep making payments, with administrators either running down the lending book or seeking to sell it on.
The fashion retailer went into administration in mid-March but US-based restructuring company Gordon Brothers bought the chain out of administration in April.
All the retailer’s high street stores are currently closed due to lockdown and 1,669 staff have been furloughed on the government’s job retention scheme.
It is still unclear what will happen to stores after restrictions end.
The online bathroom retailer collapsed at the end of February.
According to a report by The Telegraph, accountancy firm BDO was attempting to find a buyer after the firms’ turnover reportedly dropped from £70million in 2018 to £43million.
Corporate recovery specialist Leonard Curtis was later appointed as the administrator after Soak.com failed to find a buyer.
The company behind the outlet division of TJ Hughes collapsed in February, but was later bought out of administration in a rescue deal.
Four Lewis's Home Retail outlet department stores were reportedly sold through a pre-pack sale to LHR Holding, saving more than 150 jobs.
However, according to administrators Springfields Advisory, it was not possible to sell several smaller outlets, reportedly leading to 80 redundancies and five store closures.
LHR Holding owns 18 TJ Hughes-branded department stores nationally, as well as tjhughes.co.uk, and they were not affected.
Gift and toy chain Hawkin's Bazaar collapsed into administration in January, putting 177 jobs at risk.
The Norwich-based company suspended its website but reportedly said it would continue trading from its 20 stores until further notice, Wales Online reports.
The company drafted in Moorfields Advisory as administrators to seek a rescue deal after it suffered a "challenging Christmas period".
The large furniture retailer in Kent went into administration in February – and closed its store after 15 years.
The shop, which sold mattresses and furniture for bedrooms, living rooms and dining rooms, appointed Vincent John Green and Mark Newman of Crowe UK as administrators.
In a statement to Kent Online, the owners said: "Unfortunately, prolonged and continued M20 Junction 10a roadworks have caused a devastating downturn in trade in the last three years, combined with increased rent and business rates.
"The family business could not continue trading."
The department store chain collapsed into administration in January after failing to find a last-minute buyer to rescue the 139-year-old business.
In March, the joint administrators confirmed all remaining outlets would cease trading. The retailer employed around 1,000 people.
The firm has stores in locations across the country, including in Southport and Wolverhampton.
The chain of hearing and mobility stores reportedly called in Grant Thornton as administrators in January.
Alistair Wardell and Richard Lewis were appointed to oversee the winding up of the company, according to Access and Mobility Professional.
The company sold hearing aids and medical and orthopaedic goods in specialised stores.
The online designer furniture and homeware retailer went into administration in January with the loss of 23 jobs, reports CRR.
However, the company was snapped up by homeware brand Olivia’s – part of the Moot Group – for an undisclosed sum, according to Insider.co.uk.
Bureau, its office-oriented associate business, continues to trade and is not affected by Houseology's administration.