A well-known home interiors and tiling retailer is set to shut all its stores with dozens of redundancies to take place in yet another blow to Britain's high streets.
Interiors specialist Fired Earth has entered administration, leading to 133 job losses and the shuttering of its entire UK retail network.
The upmarket tile and home furnishings company will close all 20 showrooms nationwide, though its Banbury headquarters and warehouse facilities will continue operating to fulfil outstanding customer orders.
Leonard Curtis insolvency practitioners Dane O'Hara and Neil Bennett took control of the business on October 31 as part of the administration process.
A major homeware retailer has left the high street
|GETTY / HIGH STREET
The retailer, known for premium tiles and interior design products, maintained a presence across Britain whilst also serving 22 independent stockists and operating international outlets in Denmark and Norway.
Despite generating £15million in revenue, the company recorded losses of £1.6million in 2024, mirroring similar financial difficulties from the preceding year.
Mr O'Hara broke down the circumstances that led to Fired Earth filing for administration.
He shared: "Fired Earth has been loss-making for some time. In the last three years, the company has been supported by its shareholder via substantial working capital loans while efforts were made to return the business to profitability."
Fired Earth is shutting down all its stores
|TWITTER / FIRED EARTH
The administrator added: "Unfortunately, the company continued to incur trading losses, and its investor was not prepared to provide further funding in the absence of a viable turnaround strategy."
Affected locations include showrooms in Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Cheltenham, Truro, Nottingham, Chester, Knutsford and Harrogate.
The administrators have indicated that several parties have expressed strong interest in purchasing the company's assets, though no buyer for the business as a going concern has emerged.
Fired Earth's collapse reflects broader challenges facing British retail, with industry forecasts suggesting up to 17,000 shop closures could occur during 2025.
Rising operational expenses, the ongoing migration to online shopping, heightened competition and increased taxation have created what analysts describe as one of the most challenging trading environments in recent memory.
The retail landscape presents stark contrasts, as demonstrated by HMV's remarkable resurgence following its own financial crisis.
Notably, the entertainment retailer fell into administration in 2019, endangering numerous jobs and locations, before Canadian music retailer Sunrise Records stepped in as rescuer.
The chain has since mounted an impressive recovery, establishing a major flagship outlet in Birmingham during 2019 that ranks amongst Europe's largest entertainment stores.
High streets have been hit by a wave of closures since the pandemic | PAHMV returned to Oxford Street in November 2023, whilst recent expansions into Solihull, Canterbury and Belfast demonstrate renewed confidence in physical retail presence.
Experts at accountancy firm Archimedia Accounts previously shared: "It is important to recognise that despite the many store closures in recent times, retail is not dying, but evolving.
"Therefore, it is essential that businesses constantly adapt and react to the market. Store closures themselves don’t always need to signal a ‘downfall’ or an ‘end’, sometimes they can signify a key step toward financial recovery and a shift in focus on areas such as e-commerce.”
“I would strongly advise retailers to focus on vigorous and consistent financial management. This is the foundation for long-term survival and growth, with financial planning and forecasting playing a critical role in risk assessment and overall strategic management."
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