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Published
Jul 17, 2020
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Oliver Sweeney to shutter store chain, e-tail and wholesale continues

Published
Jul 17, 2020

Upscale footwear brand Oliver Sweeney is to close down its UK chain of five shops as it switches its focus to e-tail and wholesale.


Oliver Sweeney



The news comes exactly a month after it announced that its Conduit Street location was “emerging from hibernation” and reopening after the lockdown. But it seems that the crisis for fashion retail caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has made the continuing support of physical stores by what’s still a relatively small company impractical.

In a statement on its website, MD Tim Cooper said: “It is with a great deal of sadness that we have taken the decision to close our five stores permanently. We will continue to sell direct to customers online at oliversweeney.com and through select retail partners. This has been an extremely tough decision.

“It is no secret that the economics of retail stores have changed for the worse in recent years. The additional uncertainty of Covid19 has only compounded the problem and made our stores untenable.

“The most regrettable part is having to say goodbye to our wonderful retail team, many of whom have been with us for over 10 years and have dedicated so much of their time and passion into providing you the best possible service. They’re a huge part of our Sweeney family and we will all miss them greatly. I cannot thank them enough for their loyalty and diligence, especially recently, when we have all pooled every ounce of effort to keep our stores alive.”

However, the online operation “remains fully operational and robust,” Cooper added.

The retail arm has reportedly gone into administration and previously comprised the Conduit Street store, plus locations in London’s Covent Garden and Leadenhall, as well as Leeds and Manchester.

Making physical shops operate profitably remains a huge challenge for chains large and small as customers stay away. The physical shopping sector is having to deal with the problem of a continuing shift online that it knew was coming, but that it had assumed might have to be fully addressed five or more years down the line. 

It means Oliver Sweeney is unlikely to be the last company to close down some or all of its stores this year.

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