Claire’s closes its stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland

The accessories and jewelry chain Claire’s is now also throwing in the towel in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A total of 154 stores will close, resulting in the loss of 1,300 jobs. Its Belgian, Spanish, and Dutch divisions had previously gone bankrupt.

Sales in free fall

Claire’s entered Europe in 1996 through the acquisition of the British chain Bow Jangles. What began as a successful expansion turned into a slow decline. After a first U.S. bankruptcy filing in 2018 and a second in August 2025, the situation had become untenable. Modella Capital, an investment group that had previously saved part of the chain, was unable to halt the declining sales.