Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 17) — Global fast fashion brands Topshop/Topman, Dorothy Perkins, and Burton will be closing up shop in the Philippines by April.
The brands’ franchise holder Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. made the confirmation to CNN Philippines in an email, recounting that the brands’ principal Arcadia Group earlier went into administration in the United Kingdom. The process, which is roughly equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, happened around late November as reported by CNN.
“With this, we got nothing to buy because they got bankrupt,” said RRHI vice president for corporate planning Gina Roa-Dapling.
UK-based online fashion retailers Asos and Boohoo purchased the brands, with Topshop/Topman heading to the former and Dorothy Perkins and Burton going to the latter.
“With the purchase of the brands by the online companies, all franchise deals for the offline stores got canceled or terminated,” she added.
The fashion industry is among the hardest hit sectors worldwide amid the pandemic, with more people staying at home and remote working trends gaining even more ground in light of the global health crisis.
