Popular fashion accessory retailer Claire’s Accessories is set to close 145 of its UK and Ireland stores, marking a significant chapter in the ongoing challenges faced by the British high street. The closures come despite a recent rescue deal that saved the brand from administration and secured the future of a portion of its outlets. For customers and employees alike, the announcement signals both relief and uncertainty in a retail landscape already fraught with turmoil.
Earlier this week, administrators agreed to sell 156 Claire’s stores to investment group Modella Capital, a move that has safeguarded around 1,000 jobs, according to reporting by The Sun and NationalWorld. However, the deal did not extend to all outlets. The remaining 145 stores, not included in the Modella Capital acquisition, will now shutter permanently. The exact closure dates will vary by location, but all affected sites will launch closing-down sales this weekend, offering customers a 20% discount as the final chapter unfolds for these branches.
“Our intention is to continue to trade the remaining portfolio of stores for as long as we can, while we explore the options available,” said Will Wright, Interpath’s UK chief executive and joint administrator, in a statement quoted by both The Sun and NationalWorld. Despite determined efforts, administrators were unable to secure buyers for the 145 stores now facing closure. The precise number of employees impacted by these closures remains unconfirmed, adding to the anxiety for staff across the company.
The saga began in earnest on August 13, 2025, when Claire’s UK arm entered administration, just days after its US counterpart filed for bankruptcy on August 7. While the US business has since found a buyer for 950 of its stores, the UK operation has faced a more piecemeal fate. The sale to Modella Capital, brokered directly with Claire’s US parent company Ames Watson, has been described as a lifeline for part of the business, but it leaves a substantial footprint of closures in its wake.
For those curious about which locations will disappear from the high street, the list is extensive and stretches across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Major cities and smaller towns alike are affected, with sites in Birmingham, Manchester, London (including Oxford Street), Bristol, Cardiff, Aberdeen, and Belfast among those set to close. The closures will not only affect shoppers but also transform the retail landscape in shopping centres and high streets up and down the country.
Joe Price, managing director at Modella Capital, struck an optimistic—if cautious—tone about the brand’s future. “As a firm, we strongly believe that this much-loved brand deserves the chance to remain on the High Street in the UK and Ireland. The issues that Claire’s is facing are significant, and we will need to work collaboratively with all interested parties if our proposed rescue plan is to succeed.” Price’s comments, cited by The Sun, reflect both the affection for the brand and the daunting nature of the challenges ahead.
Modella Capital is no stranger to retail turnarounds. The investment group has made waves in the sector by acquiring WH Smith’s high street outlets (recently rebranded as TGJones), as well as previous investments in Hobbycraft, Paperchase, and Tie Rack. Their approach is to work closely with landlords and other stakeholders to determine which stores can remain open, but even among the rescued 156 outlets, some closures and job losses are expected as negotiations continue.
The troubles at Claire’s Accessories are emblematic of a broader malaise gripping the UK’s retail sector. Recent months have seen other high street names—such as River Island and Poundland—avoid administration only by implementing radical restructuring plans that included closing stores and cutting jobs. River Island, for example, is set to close up to 33 stores by January 2026, while New Look has exited Ireland and shuttered a dozen sites in the UK this year. Even established international brands are not immune: H&M-owned fashion chain Monki closed its last UK high street stores in August.
The British Retail Consortium has highlighted the mounting pressures on the sector, pointing to a Treasury hike in employer National Insurance Contributions that will cost retailers a staggering £2.3 billion. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down in 2025 alone, following a tough 2024 in which 13,000 shops closed—a 28% increase on the previous year. These statistics underscore the scale of the crisis facing shops, employees, and local economies.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR, offered a sobering assessment of the outlook: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.” He further predicted that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in retail this year, warning, “By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
For Claire’s Accessories, the current wave of closures comes after years of shifting consumer habits, competition from online retailers, and the lingering aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the brand’s colourful earrings and hair accessories have long been a staple for teenagers and young adults, the broader economic climate has not spared even the most beloved names. The company’s UK administration and US bankruptcy filings are stark reminders that no retailer is immune to the forces reshaping the industry.
Interpath, the firm handling the administration, has pledged to keep trading the remaining stores for as long as possible while exploring further options. Yet, for the communities losing their local Claire’s, the closure of these stores will be felt keenly. The company’s signature purple storefronts, once a fixture in shopping centres, will soon be gone from dozens of towns and cities.
As closing-down sales begin this weekend, customers may find some bargains, but the mood is bittersweet. The fate of the rescued stores remains uncertain as Modella Capital negotiates with landlords, and employees across the business are left waiting for clarity about their futures. For now, Claire’s Accessories joins a growing list of high street casualties in what is shaping up to be one of the most challenging years for British retail in recent memory.
With the high street continuing to evolve, only time will tell which brands will adapt and survive—and which, like so many before them, will become memories for the generations that once shopped there.
