Fashion equipment retailer Claire’s closes its 154 retailers with lack of 1,300 jobs
Fashion accessories retailer Claire’s has closed all of its standalone stores in the UK and Ireland with the loss of around 1,300 jobs, administrators have said.
Kroll said 154 stores have shut with notices of redundancy being given to the chain’s workforce.
The move does not affect the retailer’s 356 concessions, including many in Asda stores, and its head office.
The administrators said in a statement: ‘As of 27 April, all Claire’s standalone stores in UK and Ireland have ceased trading. All store employees have been advised of redundancy.
‘We understand an interested party is in discussion with a number of landlords with a view to taking new leases for some of the sites.’
Claire’s previous owners Modella Capital placed the firm into administration in January and cited ‘an alarming drop-off in pre-Christmas footfall’.
It also blamed ‘highly adverse government fiscal policies and continued cost inflation’ that it said was ‘causing many established and much-loved businesses to suffer badly’.
The retailer garnered a cult following thanks to its ear-piercing services and friendship bracelets.
Fashion accessories retailer Claire’s has closed all of its standalone stores in the UK and Ireland with the loss of around 1,300 jobs, administrators have said
Founded in 1961 in Chicago before heading to the UK in the mid-90s, visits to Claire’s became a rite of passage for teens, with their stores boasting a vast array of glittery plastic earrings, necklaces, rings, keychains, and hats.
Even Victoria Beckham took her son Brooklyn – in more tranquil times for the clan – to have his ears pierced at Claire’s in London’s Westfield back in 2014, while Kim Kardashian stunned fans by popping into the Hawaii store to get some studs put in.
Talking to the Daily Mail about the store’s glory days, PR and brand expert Chad Teixeira said in January: ‘Claire’s worked because it knew exactly who it was for and never overcomplicated it.
‘It gave young girls a first taste of independence, choosing something for themselves, trying on identity without risk.
‘The products were cheap, loud, and trend-led, which made them accessible and exciting.
‘The ear-piercing chair turned the brand into a rite of passage, not just a shop. Claire’s wasn’t about quality or longevity, it was about feeling grown up for the first time.’
But the chain’s fortunes have nosedived in recent years. In 2017 Claire’s was forced to pull 17 of its makeup products after a glitter set tested positive for asbestos.
Two years later, the brand was back in the headlines after a former employee revealed a company policy to forcibly pierce the ears of distressed children against their will if their parents insisted on it.
Once a shopping paradise for tweens, Claire’s is being axed from high streets across the UK after it entered administration
Raylene Marks, who worked at a Claire’s store in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for four months, quit in April 2019 after an incident involving a seven-year-old girl who made it clear she did not want a piercing.
The girl’s mother eventually left with her, but Raylene said she reached her ‘breaking point’ after a manager said that had the mother insisted and physically held her protesting daughter down in the chair, Raylene still would have had to pierce her.
Claire’s told the Daily Mail at the time that they were investigating the store where she worked.
Last August, Claire’s confirmed it was filing for administration. The news came a week after US-based Claire’s group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a court in Delaware.
It was the second time the group had declared bankruptcy, after first filing for the process in 2018.
Chris Cramer, who was chief executive of Claire’s at the time, said: ‘This decision, while difficult, is part of our broader effort to protect the long-term value of Claire’s across all markets.
‘In the UK, taking this step will allow us to continue to trade the business while we explore the best possible path forward. We are deeply grateful to our employees, partners and our customers during this challenging period.’
