Major fashion brand Select has gone bust after closing 35 stores this month. The high street chain, which previously had over 100 branches in the UK, has filed for insolvency, with advisors already in the process of winding its operations up after a creditors' meeting on Friday, The Sun reports.
Staff in Select's UK shops reportedly learned about the news through an email, which also warned of a "delay" in wage payment until next week. "We are doing everything we can to resolve this matter as swiftly as possible and appreciate your understanding during this difficult time," the correspondence said. Select closed 35 of its branches on March 28 and appointed the insolvency firm Moorfields to begin the liquidation process.
The retailer's official filing for insolvency comes after Select entered into a Company Voluntary Announcement (CVA) last summer, a plan devised to help pay off its accumulated debts.
The fashion firm's 48 remaining UK stores are expected to continue trading after they were bought by Essence Fashion Limited, a Britain-based company that shares its director and shareholder, Emre Gonc, with Select.
The chain retailer first appeared on British high streets in the 1980s and is currently owned by Turkish businessman Cafer Mahiroğlu.
Its closure comes after the collapse of fellow retailer Quiz, which fell into administration in February.
The brand closed 23 of its shops earlier this year, laying off 200 employees.