Radley London looks set to be sold to Gordon Brothers in a pre-pack administration, with the brand’s stores unlikely to survive the deal.
Reports pointed to FTI Consulting being lined up as administrator, with the sale focused on the leathergoods brand’s name and intellectual property rather than its retail footprint.
The deal would mark another distressed exit in the British market, following a stretch in which heritage labels have been picked over for their brand equity alone.
Under Gordon Brothers, a former owner of Laura Ashley and the current owner of Poundland, Radley’s future likely narrows to licensing and wholesale rather than the high street.
Pre-packs keep the name alive but strip the bricks and mortar, a transaction measured in brand value rather than jobs.
