Radley to close all stores by the end of the month

Radley, the British handbag brand, reportedly will be closing all of its 21 UK stores by the end of the month, following the acquisition of its brand and intellectual property by Poundland-owners Gordon Brothers in May.

The transaction did not include Radley's retail operations and resulted in the immediate redundancy of 42 employees. Following this closure of its retail estate, more redundancies are expected to be on the horizon.

According to Radley's website, stores are to "close soon" and customers are asked to "hurry" to buy remaining stock at 70% off. Although the website remains live, the online store closed four days ago and is no longer accepting orders.

List of stores that are closing by September:

Full-priced stores

• Radley Covent Garden
• Radley Glasgow

Outlet stores

• Radley Ashford
• Radley Banbridge
• Radley Braintree
• Radley Bridgend
• Radley Cannock
• Radley Castleford
• Radley Cheshire Oaks
• Radley Cotswolds
• Radley Dalton Park
• Radley Doncaster
• Radley Gretna
• Radley Gunwharf Quays
• Radley Livingston
• Radley Mansfield
• Radley O2 London
• Radley Springfield
• Radley Street Somerset
• Radley Swindon
• Radley York

Radley's acquisition by Gordon Brothers 

Radley's new owners, Gordon Brothers, previously shared that it intends to operate Radley under an “asset-light” model, with a focus on strengthening relationships with retail partners, growing the brand internationally, and expanding into categories including watches, jewellery, eyewea and beauty gifting.

The acquisition follows Radley’s announcement in March that it was undertaking a strategic review amid challenging trading conditions and comes after the brand appointed administrators from FTI .

According to FTI Consulting, the administration came after “a sustained period of challenging economic conditions for the retail environment”, with declining consumer demand and rising operating costs weighing on the company’s performance.

Since 2003, Gordon Brothers has invested in and partnered with several fashion and lifestyle brands, including Nicole Miller, Rachel Zoe, Chinese Laundry, Laura Ashley, Telefunken and Broyhill. The company has previously shared that its strategy centres on licensing, strengthening wholesale and retail partnerships, and investing in product development and marketing to support growth.

In January 2026, Gordon Brothers acquired LK Bennett as part of a strategy to transition the business to an asset-light model. The company also purchased Poundland for £1 last year before overseeing significant store closures to help drive the brand’s turnaround. It is now, however, reportedly considering putting Poundland up for sale after one year of ownership.

Radley's history 

Founded at Camden Market in 1998, Radley built its reputation in handbags and accessories through its focus on British design, craftsmanship and accessible luxury positioning.

Under CEO Nick Vance the brand has spent the past three years implementing a transformation strategy aimed at repositioning Radley as “a modern British icon of accessible luxury”.

“Like so many accessories brands, in 2024 we experienced a challenging global market,” Vance told TheIndustry.fashion in summer 2025, adding that the transformation plan was “progressing well”.

In an interview in November 2025, Vance sat down with TheIndustry.fashion to share his transformation strategy for the brand in depth, explaining how he had set himself the clear goal of making "the world’s best £299 handbag".

In its last financial report to April 2025, Radley had posted positive growth in the areas of DTC, digital and licensing sales but had taken a hit on wholesale, in part due to technology challenges and its partners shifting to drop-ship or marketplace models.