Retail administrations fall sharply in 2015 as Christmas claims less casualties
Retail administrations fell by 19 per cent in 2015, new research shows, as the Christmas trading period claimed less victims than in previous years.
The number of retailers collapsing into administration fell to 96 from 119 the previous year, according to accountancy firm Deloitte.
Company administrations in all sectors in England fell by 12 per cent from 1,302 in 2014 to 1,147 last year.
Lee Manning, restructuring services partner at Deloitte, said: “We seem to have avoided what was once a traditional New Year clear-out of the high street, with only Brantano and Blue Inc calling in the administrators this month.”
“Although the clothing sector was heavily impacted by unseasonably warm weather, the value of December’s online sales figures was well ahead of expectations,” he said.
Blue Inc was casualty of the year after filing its intention to put one of its subsidiaries into administration earlier this month as part of plans to restructure the company. Around 60 stores out of 232 are at risk of closing. Shoe brand Brantano followed suit after appointing administrators last week, putting 140 stores and 2,000 jobs at risk.