Claire’s to close remaining UK stores on Tuesday with more than 1,000 job losses

Jewellery chain Claire’s is closing its final UK stores on Tuesday, cutting about 1,000 jobs months and ending three decades on British high streets. Sources said staff at Claire’s, which collapsed in January, had been asked to pack up the final stock and equipment with the remaining outlets to formally close on Tuesday after successive waves of closures in recent weeks. Administrators at Kroll confirmed that the shops ceased trading on Monday and “all store employees have been advised of redundancy”. More than 100 shops are understood to be closing. Claire’s collapsed into administration in January just a few months after about half the chain – 154 stores – had been rescued by Modella Capital in August. The deal had saved about 1,300 jobs at the time. The 145 branches not bought by Modella were closed by administrators in late November. In March, Kroll said closed 15 of the remaining 154 stores had closed, cutting more than 100 jobs, including at its head office, as it continued to try to find a buyer. It said: “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.” The jewellery and ear-piercing retailer’s UK arm had struggled as sales fell in the face of competition from online retailers such as Amazon as well as the rise of sales via social media such as TikTok. US-based Claire’s arrived in the UK in 1996 through the acquisition of accessories chain Bow Bangles. …