Administrators close 81 Ethel Austin stores

Administrators, MCR, is closing 81 stores at clothing retailer Ethel Austin and sister company Au Naturale over the next three to four weeks, making a total of 696 positions redundant.

The news comes just a month after administrators announced 114 stores were closing and 1,000 employees were made redundant.

Geoff Bouchier, joint administrator and partner at MCR, said: “It is a difficult retail climate and until such time as any sale of the businesses can be completed, cost cutting measures need to be taken to allow the businesses to trade on in the short term.”

Bouchier also confirmed a further 56 redundancies were being made at the clothing retailers head office in Knowsley.

Ethel Austin and its sister company, prior to administration, employed approximately 3,700 staff and had around 300 stores.

This is the second administration at the company in three years with MCR appointed administrators in February this year.

Further reading:

MCR administrators close Ethel Austin

MRC administrators cut over 400 staff at Ethel Austin

Ethel Austin back in administration