A high street brand is expected to make a comeback just days after the company announced it had closed its last stores.
Claire’s, formerly known as Claire’s Accessories, went into administration earlier this year, having come under pressure from low-priced online competitors.
The popular fashion accessories chain once had branches in Chippenham, Swindon and Trowbridge, but these have all closed in recent months.
As reported last week , has officially shut all of its 154 high street shops across the UK and Ireland.
But only days later, the Guardian reported plans to bring the retailer back to UK high streets, with around 50 stores to be reopened from June onwards by the operator of its branches in several European countries.
Its stores in Chippenham’s Borough Parade and The Shires shopping centre in Trowbridge both closed last November, while the Designer Outlet Swindon branch shut in April this year.
The chain has disappeared from the UK’s high streets completely, making around 1,300 people redundant in the process.
But now, Julien Jarjoura, a French entrepreneur behind Une Ligne, a jewellery company, said he had the blessings of Claire’s brand’s US owner, Ames Watson, to begin opening stores.
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Jarjoura, who first tried to buy Claire’s in January, said he was aiming to reopen four to 10 stores a week in the UK from June. “A lot of people think Claire’s is a British brand. It is extremely famous in the UK and there is no way it is going away,” he said.
He told the Guardian that the the brand had suffered from a lack of investment in stores and products that were not right for the UK and were too expensive, meaning the firm had become reliant on heavy discounting.
He added that he plans to revamp stores, continue with ear-piercing services and introduce new jewellery and accessories which will start from £1.90 in price but could run to more than £100.
He told the paper: “There will definitely be some brand repositioning. We are not a discount store but we like to sell stuff at a fair price.”
He admitted the Claire’s brand had been damaged in the UK and it would “take a bit of time to bring back the customers”, especially those who had become used to heavy discounting such as “buy three get four” offers.
Ames Watson has been approached for comment.
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