Select Fashion: collapse of major UK clothing stores leaves staff 'unpaid without redundancy'

• Select Fashion has gone bankrupt after months of uncertainty and store closures
• 40 employees at closed stores will reportedly not receive owed wages or redundancy pay
• Remaining staff have been informed of delays in wage payments and uncertainty ahead
• The company had previously entered voluntary liquidation, overseen by Moorfields
• Select's recent financial struggles were worsened by the cost-of-living crisis and economic pressures

A major fashion retailer has reportedly finally gone under after months of uncertainty and store closures, leaving employees without redundancy pay or owed wages, according to reports.

Insolvency firm Moorfields is said to be overseeing the wind-down of womenswear brand Select Fashion after a creditors' meeting last Friday (March 28) approved a voluntary liquidation.

The company had already closed 35 stores in mid-March, quietly reducing its presence since the beginning of the year.

None of the 40 employees at the impacted Select Fashion stores will receive their weekly wages for the time worked prior to the closures, nor will they be provided with a redundancy package, according to The Sun.

Several staff members have been advised to seek support through the Government's Redundancy Payment Service (RPS).

An email to staff, seen by The Sun, notified remaining employees at 48 branches that were spared from closure that the company has officially gone bankrupt and that there will be a "delay" in the payment of their wages.

The message said: “Please be assured that your wages will be processed and paid out next week. We are doing everything we can to resolve this matter as swiftly as possible and appreciate your understanding during this difficult time.”

After receiving the message, concerned workers have been left in the dark and have been unable to get in touch since, according to The Sun.

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It is also reported that some employees were told they would receive a payment to cover the weekend, but this payment never materialised.

A source “close to the matter” also revealed that during last week's liquidation meeting, staff were informed that the bank accounts used by the company had been frozen.

The full list of 35 Select Fashion stores that closed in March 2025:

• Accrington
• Ashington
• Ashton-under-Lyne
• Birkenhead
• Bletchley
• Bristol Broadmead
• Bristol Broadwalk Shopping Centre
• Chippenham
• Coalville
• Cowley
• Crewe
• Eastleigh
• Hartlepool
• Hatfield
• Hemel Hampstead
• Hull Hessle
• Hull St Stephen's
• Kidderminster
• Merthyr Tydfil
• Middlesbrough
• Newport
• Peterlee
• Port Talbot
• Preston
• Runcorn
• Scarborough
• Scunthorpe
• South Shields
• Southampton
• Thornby
• Torquay
• Wellingborough
• Witham
• Wolverhampton
• Worksop

Select had entered into a company voluntary arrangement last year, allowing the struggling business to pay off debts to creditors over a set period while continuing operations. The process was also overseen by Moorfields.

Select previously went into administration in 2019, before being rescued by Genus UK. It is now owned by Turkish businessman Cafer Mahiroglu.

The company reported a pre-tax loss of £1.1 million for the year ending February 2023, according to its most recent financial filings.

Select had previously warned that it was being squeezed by the cost-of-living crisis, wage pressures, higher taxes, and a challenging economic environment. The company's difficulties come amid a wave of recent collapses and closures on the high street.

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