Uncertainty for local Laura Ashley store

Wednesday 25 March 2020

The future of Jersey's Laura Ashley store uncertain after the company collapsed into administration.

Located at Liberty Wharf, the local homeware brand is run by SandpiperCI under a franchise agreement.

Nationally, the fashion and furniture retailer had been in difficulty for some time, but have blamed corona virus for their most recent financial troubles.

Pictured: The brand has been struggling for some time, partly due to the rise of online shopping.

In a statement released on Tuesday 17 March, the company said: “The Covid-19 outbreak has had an immediate and significant impact on trading, and ongoing developments indicate that this will be a sustained national situation.”

Then on Monday 23 March, it announced that 70 stores - around half of its portfolio - would be closing across the UK.

Before the impact of Covid-19 was clear, it had been hoped that the main shareholder in the company, MUI Asia, would step in and provide financial support.

Across the UK, up to 2,700 jobs are under threat but according to the company, “all available alternative options have been explored” and this is the only possible solution.

Pictured: Jersey's local Laura Ashley store, based in Liberty Wharf.

A spokesperson for SandpiperCI said that it is "too early to say" what will happen locally.

However, they reassured customers that "the Jersey store will continue to trade until outcomes are known".

They also confirmed that the Liberty Wharf branch was not one of those affected by the store closures.