Quiz seeks new financing in wake of ‘disappointing’ Christmas
Scotland-based womenswear retailer Quiz Clothing is "assessing options" following "disappointing" Christmas sales and a gloomy high street outlook.
The company is reported to be considering bringing in advisers, which may lead to store closures as part of efforts to secure its future, despite having announced only last October that it planned to open up to 10 new stores in the UK, with a focus on London and the south of England.
Quiz underwent a major restructure in February 2025 – designed to sharpen the business’s offer and make it more agile following the Glasgow-based owners, the Ramzan family, pulling the plug on the business and closing 23 shops before buying back the remaining assets as part of a pre-pack deal.
As with many other high street retailers, Quiz has been impacted by increases in the national minimum wage and national insurance costs, the burden of high business rates and changing consumer habits.
A spokesperson told TheIndustry.fashion: "The business has experienced volatile trading in the last twelve months. Whilst sales were stronger than anticipated in the summer they were disappointing during the critical Christmas period. Changing consumer habits, government budget disruption around peak Black Friday trade, cost pressures from business rates and increases in national minimum wage and NI have proved challenging as widely reported across the retail sector.
"The primary shareholders have provided considerable financial support to the business over the last year. The shareholders are assessing options available to the business from both internal and external sources."
In November, Quiz returned to Aberdeen and Telford with new stores, as its UK retail expansion looked to be on track.
Having closed its previous store in Aberdeen in August 2025, the new location is at the Bon Accord Shopping Centre, while the Telford store is in the same unit that Quiz Clothing vacated in February 2025 due to positive renegotiations with the Telford Centre landlords.
Each new store features approximately 2,000 sq ft of trading space and follows the “design blueprint” of Quiz’s relocated store at Braehead in Glasgow, which opened in September.
It’s a more sophisticated store concept, with a softer design framed by white and gold fittings. There’s also in-store screens for video-led campaign content.
While it is clear that the fast fashion market is still very much alive and well, as Chinese e-commerce giants such as Shein and Temu continue to thrive and take market share - despite supposed consumer shifts to more sustainable shopping habits - it appears that Quiz is facing another battle to survive.
Quiz was started by entrepreneur Tarak Ramzan as a single shop in 1993. It currently operates over 40 stores and employs in the region of 1,000 staff.
