Stories

Tue, 28 Apr 2026

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 Nostalgia wasn't enough: What went wrong at Claire's

Experts says Claire's suffered from a perfect storm of issues which has spelled the end for the accessories chain.
Claire's, a once-popular jewellery and accessories store, has permanently closed all 154 locations in the UK and Ireland after struggling with declining sales and financial difficulties. The brand's demise is attributed to a perfect storm of factors, including a post-pandemic decline in spending, increased competition from cheap online retailers, and a failure to adapt to changing fashion trends. Fashion expert Priya Raj notes that Claire's reliance on physical stores and impulse buys made it vulnerable to the shift towards online shopping. The brand also failed to innovate and offer new services, such as make-up lessons, which would have attracted more customers. According to financial analyst Danni Hewson, Claire's had been struggling for years, with its UK arm filing for bankruptcy twice since 2018. Despite a brief resurgence under new ownership, the company ultimately couldn't recover from its financial woes and was forced to close all stores, resulting in the loss of 1,300 jobs. For many people, Claire's is a nostalgic brand that evokes memories of their childhood. However, experts say it needed significant changes to appeal to younger generations, which it failed to make. The closure of Claire's highlights the challenges faced by retailers on high streets, with rising rents, higher business rates, and lower foot traffic contributing to its downfall.