Mulberry closes its Somerset factories due to UK's social distancing measures

Luxury British handbag brand, Mulberry has announced it will be closing its factories in Somerset for at least three weeks due to the social distancing measures introduced by the British government to limit the spread of Coronavirus.

The brand's UK stores have been closed since 21 March and it is reviewing its international outlets on a “case-by-case basis”.

According to a report from i News, the Somerset facilities in Chilcompton and Bridgwater have also closed. These factories produced around half of Mulberry's leather goods and were a key priority for the Mulberry flagship store during London Fashion Week in February.

i News reported the brand will be reviewing the case next month and will decide how to move forward amid the crises. Mulberry's staff will continue to be paid during the period.

This week, the luxury brand warned it expects to slump to a second-half loss as it said trading has been “severely impacted” by the Coronavirus crisis.

Mulberry had already been struggling financially before the Coronavirus pandemic struck, with bosses warning that the UK market remains tough and heavy discounting is hitting profits.

Last month, Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group bought a 12.5% stake in the brand. Mulberry also recently announced that its Creative Director, Johnny Coca, who formerly worked at Celine, would be leaving the company at the end of the month.