A popular clothing store will soon shut all of its remaining shops in yet another blow to the high street.
Cath Kidston, which specifically focuses on handicraft and vintage themed items, will finally leave the high street on June 30.
The 30-year-old retailer was bought by Next after falling into administration but the purchase does not include keeping its shops.
Next bought the brand name, domain names and intellectual property earlier in the year for £8.5million.
Customers queuing outside a Cath Kidston store in London
PA
Cath Kidston’s four remaining stores continued to trade after the purchase but will pull down the shutters on Friday.
The company’s remaining stores in London, Ashford, Cheshire Oaks and York will offer huge 70 per cent discounts to flog stock at the very last-minute.
Two concession stores in Colne and Sheffield closed earlier in the year and Cath Kidston’s website is now redirecting customers to Next.
Cath Kidston products remain available at full price on Next’s website.
General View of a Next store in London
PA
The company was founded in 1993 but entered administration in April 2020.
Cath Kidston’s initial financial woes led to 60 UK stores closing and 908 jobs lost.
Zelf Hussain, a joint administrator from PwC, said earlier this year: “Cath Kidston is a well-loved lifestyle brand founded in 1993 and I am pleased to say that it has been bought by Next who will make sure it continues to flower under their ownership.
"The company has, over recent years, navigated through incredibly challenging market conditions including the pandemic restrictions, and most recently the decline in consumer spending driven by cost of living pressures and rising costs.
A Cath Kidston store on Portobello Road in Notting Hill, London
PA
"In the short-term, its four stores will continue to remain open whilst operations are wound down.
“Sadly, there will be redundancies during this period of wind down and we will continue to support the staff throughout this period."
Next has recently been stepping up to help failing companies on the cusp of entering administration.
The high street giant has bought furniture store Made.com, started selling GAP online and took a stake in baby clothing company JoJo Maman Bebe.