Claire's, the high street beauty accessories retailer, has entered administration for the second time in less than six months.
Insolvency practitioners from business consulting firm Kroll were appointed as administrators to Claire's UK and Ireland on 26 January, which means they will run the company and try to find a solution to its financial woes.
"Philip Dakin, Benjamin Wiles and Janet Burt of Kroll Advisory were appointed as joint administrators of CAUKI on 26 January 2026. The company is continuing to trade during this period," the New York-headquartered firm said in a statement.
Claire's first entered administration in the UK in August after its parent company, Claire’s Holdings LLC, started Chapter 11 proceedings in the United States.
But it was rescued by specialist retail and consumer investment boutique Modella Capital, which bought more than half of its stores out of administration.
The transaction also involved 156 Claire’s stores across the UK and Ireland transferring to Modella Capital, which also owns discount brand The Original Factory Shop.
According to reports in Sky News, the collapse of Claire's so shortly after its Modella Capital's acquisition follows cost pressures prompted by government tax policy changes and "demands from landlords" to take back stores.
While the business will continue to trade in the UK and Ireland for the time being, the administration throws doubt over the future of more than 150 shops and the future of 1,000 staff.
According to CoStar data, Claire's has a total footprint of circa 180,000 square feet and an average shop footprint of around 1,205 square feet, with one of its largest stores on Southampton's Above Bar Street in the centre of the city.
The Illinois-headquartered business was founded in 1961 and has become a high street and shopping centre staple in the United Kingdom selling jewellery and accessories.
In July, it emerged that the United Kingdom business had hired restructuring specialist Interpath to search for investors for all or part of its United Kingdom operations. That could include an outright sale.
The move came ahead of a deadline for a $480million (£355million) loan that needs to be repaid by December 2026, according to reports in The Telegraph.
The Original Factory Shop is also expected to enter administration soon, according to national news publications in the UK. That brand has 140 stores and 1,220 staff.
Modella Capital was approached for comment.