Jobs bloodbath expected as UK retailers buckle
The UK’s deepening retail crisis threatens more than 11,000 additional job losses.
House of Fraser plans to close more than half its stores in the UK and Ireland, potentially costing 6,000 jobs, as the struggling chain pursues insolvency procedures aimed at securing new investment.
Discount chain Poundworld, bought three years ago by TPG Capital, has just 10 days to find a buyer or it will collapse, according to a person familiar with the matter. The chain employs 5,300 people.
The two companies are the latest casualties of a deepening crisis that has precipitated a spate of bankruptcies and restructurings among the UK’s brick-and-mortar chains. The rise of Amazon.com and other e-commerce outlets, which account for nearly one-fifth of the UK’s retail sales, has sucked demand away from stores.
That has been compounded by a jump in sourcing costs after the Brexit-induced drop in sterling, as well as increases in staffing costs and commercial property taxes.
Toys “R” Us’s UK unit and electronics retailer Maplin both collapsed in February. Since then, fashion retailer New Look, babywear and childrenswear retailer Mothercare and floorcoverings seller Carpetright have all announced dozens of store closures through company voluntary arrangements — the same insolvency procedure House of Fraser is pursuing.
“It’s a tough market and the weakest retailers are being picked off,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Chris Chaviaras. “These are companies that have failed to adapt to increased competition.”
Amazon, which increased its UK revenue by 19% to $11.4bn last year, announced this week it would add 2,500 workers in the UK in 2018.
House of Fraser is seeking to shut 31 of 59 outlets to secure investment from Chinese retailer C. banner International Holdings, which has pledged the funds on condition the company shuts stores. The House of Fraser closings are set to include the company’s flagship store on London’s Oxford Street. The company will seek approval from its creditors on June 22.
House of Fraser’s £175m of bonds due in 2020 have fallen 15p in 2018 to a record low of 73p, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
“Department stores are incredibly expensive to operate,” said Richard Lim, CEO of consultancy Retail Economics. “Traditional retail business models are simply becoming unsustainable for some retailers.”
Faced with the alternative of their tenants going out of business and a likely struggle to find a replacement, landlords have reluctantly approved other company voluntary arrangements in 2018.
But they have been irked by House of Fraser’s decision to go public with its plans in May without first consulting them, according to the British Property Federation. Without mentioning House of Fraser directly, the group said in a statement on Thursday that some retailers are abusing the process.
Poundworld has filed a notice of its intention to appoint an administrator — an outside official who oversees the UK equivalent of bankruptcy proceedings — and will spend the next 10 days in talks with prospective buyers, the person familiar with the matter said.
Poundworld, which sells everything from cans of deodorant to boxes of teabags for £1, has been acutely affected by increased sourcing costs. The retailer has 355 stores, about 70 of which were opened under TPG’s ownership.
THE RISE OF E-COMMERCE OUTLETS SUCH AS AMAZON.COM HAS SUCKED DEMAND AWAY FROM STORES