LK Bennett website to cease trading but stores to remain open for 'limited time'

LK Bennett announced on Instagram that it will be closing down its website in the next few days, urging customers to take advantage of its "biggest offer ever" with up to 90% off online items.

It added that customers would still be able to shop in-store for "a limited time".

In January, LK Bennett was acquired by US investment firm Gordon Brothers, which previously owned Laura Ashley. The deal included only the brand name and intellectual property of the brand, but not its nine standalone stores and 13 concessions, which remained under administration control. The foreseeable closure of its stores puts 89 jobs at risk.

Gordon Brothers announced that it would focus on transitioning LK Bennett to an asset-light model, as it had with the successful revitalisation and expansion of the Laura Ashley brand globally. It will also invest in product development and marketing for its portfolio of brands.

The upmarket British fashion brand, best known for its limited-edition ready-to-wear collections, signature shoes, bags and accessories, filed its intention to appoint administrators in January after failing to find a buyer, with NEXT previously among the mooted suitors.

Founded in the 1990s by Linda Bennett, LK Bennett, once a firm favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge, started with a single boutique in Wimbledon. Pre-administration, the brand employed about 280 staff.