Claire's enters administration with 1,000 jobs at risk
Claire’s UK and Ireland operations have officially collapsed into administration, putting more than 1,000 high street jobs at risk.
Insolvency practitioners from Kroll were formally appointed as joint administrators on Monday, Sky News reported.
It comes three weeks after the retailer’s owner, Modella Capital, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators to both Claire’s and TOFS, the discount chain it also acquired last year.
In a statement on Monday evening, Kroll said: "Philip Dakin, Benjamin Wiles and Janet Burt of Kroll Advisory Ltd were appointed as joint administrators of CAUKI Ltd on 26 January 2026.
"The company is continuing to trade during this period."
Modella acquired Claire’s last September, shortly after the accessories chain had entered insolvency proceedings in both the UK and the US.
Sources close to the situation have blamed a combination of factors for the collapse, including what they described as a sharply rising tax burden on retailers and mounting pressure from landlords seeking to reclaim stores.
Retail experts have also pointed to intense competition from online rivals. Claire’s struggled to adapt quickly enough to compete with fast-moving digital platforms such as Temu and TikTok Shop, according to Nicholas Found, Head of Commercial Content at Retail Economics.
Sean Moran, a restructuring and insolvency partner at Shakespeare Martineau, added that the fashion and accessories sector has been overwhelmed by new online competitors in recent years, placing sustained pressure on traditional high street brands.
"These tough market conditions will by no means only be affecting Claire’s, and we may well see other retail giants struggle in the coming months," he said previously.
