Claire’s makes a comeback on British high streets with 50 stores

Claire’s will return to British high streets in June with approximately fifty stores, led by its current European franchise partner, Julien Jarjoura. The relaunch comes shortly after the closure of the last British stores in late April, which resulted in the loss of more than 1,000 jobs.

“Claire’s is not going away”

Jarjoura, who already operates about 240 Claire’s stores in other European countries, has reached an agreement with the American brand owner Ames Watson to run the British operations and says he is currently finalizing new lease agreements with landlords. He plans to roll out four to ten stores per week starting in June. The relaunch does not involve the former headquarters in Birmingham, nor the existing inventory managed by the administrators. The new British entity will operate independently and debt-free, with investments from its own funds.

“I feel so sad when I see such a nice business going down,” Jarjoura told The Guardian. “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 does, however, want to reposition the brand: the retailer had become too reliant on deep discounts, he believes. “We are not a discount store but we like to sell stuff at a fair price.”

Claire’s came under the ownership of the investment fund Ames Watson in 2025 following a debt restructuring in the U.S. As a result of the liquidation in the United States, the retailer’s European subsidiaries also went under one by one. Last month, the chain had to throw in the towel again in the UK, following a failed relaunch under new owner Modella Capital. This resulted in the closure of 154 stores and the loss of 1,300 jobs.