Claire’s accessory store, closing in Plymouth’s Drake Circus Shopping Centre(Image: Submitted)
A major retailer is to close its store in Plymouth’s Drake Circus Shopping Centre and is selling off stock cheap.
Signs have appeared at the Claire’s Accessories outlet in the mall saying “store closing down” and “everything must go”. Some stock is now half price.
A Claire’s employee confirmed the store was to shut but was unable to say when its final day of trading would be, adding: “We don’t know anything.”
When PlymouthLive visited the outlet, in the ground-floor lower mall, it was busy with customers.
British Land, which owns the shopping complex, has been asked for comment.
The UK operator of Claire’s, along with The Original Factory Shop (TOFS), collapsed into administration early last month, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk.
The 156 Claire’s stores were continuing to trade as the administrators tried to find a buyer for the company.
Last year dozens of Claire’s shops were closed, but Plymouth escaped the cull. Retail analysts have, however, been sceptical that a buyer will snap up the remaining Claire’s outlets.
Plymouth had a Claire’s outlet in Armada Way until it closed in 2022. The store in the mall – which sells jewellery, hair, cosmetics, and fashion accessories – remained open but its days are now numbered.
The mall is, however, almost totally full, with Claire’s departure leaving just one unit empty on the ground floor.
In the upper mall, only the former Hugo Boss and Lids units are vacant. The first floor is now full.
The mall last year welcomed the arrival of burger flipper Wendy’s, jeweller Swarovski, kitchenware retailer ProCook, Office shoes, and underwear seller Victoria’s Secret.
The city centre has, however, been rocked by a series of departures outside the mall, led by the imminent closure of the huge House of Fraser department store.
Shoe seller Pavers and Mila’s Bakery have also closed city centre outlets, but continue to trade elsewhere in Plymouth.
Claire’s and TOFS, which has an outlet in Saltash and a presence inside the Co-op at Plympton ‘s Ridgeway, had already undergone restructuring before being bought by investment firm Modella Capital last year.
Modella said it had made the “tough decision” to kickstart insolvency proceedings for the businesses and put 1,355 employees in the UK and Ireland at 154 Claire’s shops, including those in Plymouth and Exeter, at risk.
The fashion accessories chain appointed administrators for its UK and Ireland business after filing for bankruptcy in the US.
Modella has become a significant force in the British retail industry, having bought WH Smith’s high street chain last year and taking over arts and crafts retailer Hobbycraft, which also has a store in Plymouth, in 2024.
But the company said tough retail conditions, including from Government policies, were causing British businesses to “suffer”.
