No relaunch for Claire’s in the Netherlands

No potential buyer has come forward for the Dutch branch of the bankrupt jewellery chain Claire’s. This means there will be no relaunch in the Netherlands, but there was better news from the American, British and Irish branches.

No interested parties

The Dutch branch of the accessories chain went bankrupt in August as a result of the bankruptcy of its American parent company. The retailer had nine stores in the country, all of which have since closed. Receiver Frans Crul now has some bad news for its 45 employees: no interested parties have come forward, he wrote in a recently published bankruptcy report cited by RetailTrends.

Claire’s did find a buyer for its American branch: Ames Watson, an investment fund with a turnover of more than two billion dollars, took over a significant portion of the stores, as well as the brand rights. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, investor Modella Capital has acquired the brand rights and 156 stores. Most European subsidiaries have since collapsed with no prospect of a restart.