Iconic high-street shoe store is closing 10 shops as a part of takeover take care of Next

Ten Russell & Bromley shoe shops across Britain are due to or have already closed, just three months after the business was snapped up by Next.  

The British shoe brand’s Covent Garden branch in London is closing its doors for the final time today. 

Russell & Bromley shops in Bath and Harrogate are scheduled to close on 23 April. 

The chain’s shoe shops in Exeter, Hampstead, Winchester, Stratford, Birmingham, Jermyn Street and Canary Wharf in London have already closed, as have three outlet stores in Swindon, Ashford, and Cheshire Oaks. 

More Russell & Bromley shops are closing in the coming weeks as the 146-year-old retailer winds down its operations under new ownership. The chain also has stores in locations such as Oxford and Manchester. 

Affected Russell & Bromley shops are understood to be offering discounts of up to 90 per cent on everything in a bid to clear stock.  

A spokeswoman for administrators at Interpath told This is Money that further shop closures were anticipated over the coming week, though exact timings remain uncertain. 

The Interpath spokeswoman did not confirm how many jobs are being lost as a result of the closures. 

Russell & Bromley gift cards or loyalty points cannot be used in Russell & Bromley shops or via Next. 

Any Russell & Bromley customers who purchased shoes or another product at the chain before the appointment of administrators on 21 January 2026, and are due a refund because they are faulty, need to contact the retailer’s administrators. 

Demise of a high-street stalwart 

In January, the shoe retailer, a favourite of the Princess of Wales, was acquired by Next in a deal that included just three of its 36 stores. 

Next acquired the brand name, domain names, and intellectual property of Russell & Bromley for £2.5million in cash. 

The rescue deal with Next only included Russell & Bromley stores in Chelsea, Mayfair and the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent. 

That has left the remaining 33 shops and nine concessions are at risk of closure with the loss of hundreds of jobs. Russell & Bromley employed around 440 staff previously.

Next was able to transfer 40 employees to its company as part of the deal to buy Russell & Bromley. 

In January, Drapers reported that swathes of Russell & Bromley’s suppliers felt that had been left in the lurch to decipher what to do with large quantities of stock following the footwear retailer’s demise. 

Despite its heritage – and popularity among the royals including Queen Camilla and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, the shoe chain struggled financially in recent years before plummeting into administration. 

Earlier this year, Russell & Bromley’s chief executive Andrew Bromley said it was a ‘difficult decision’, but said the sale of the brand was the best way to secure its future. 

As the demise of Britain’s high streets continues unabated, it is clear Russell & Bromley’s closures mirror other retailers. The Original Factory Shop and Claire’s are both locked in the administration process, and 1,000 staff at Bodycare lost their jobs after the business collapsed in September 2025.  

Russell & Bromley was established in Eastbourne, East Sussex, by George Bromley and Elizabeth Russell, both from shoemaking families. Andrew Bromley represents the fifth generation of his family to take charge of the company.

In recent years, Next has been on a major acquisition spree in a bid to boost its bottom line. In 2025, Next bought out of administration fashion maternity label Seraphine, and began rolling out its FatFace concessions a few years after snapping it up.