All stores at risk as UK fashion retailer in administration

Quiz Clothing’s stores in the UK and Ireland have been operated by a team led by Alistair McAlinden and Geoff Jacobs of Interpath since its owners fell into administration.

The joint administrators are to consider whether to continue operating the outlets at the end of this month if no rescue deal emerges.

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Interpath was appointed administrator to Orion Retail Limited, Tarak International Limited and Zandra Systems Limited, collectively trading as Quiz Clothing, in February.

The Glasgow-founded retail firm, operating for 33 years, has seven concessions in Ireland as well as its 40 stores across the UK, employing 565 staff.

The Herald understands Interpath plans to trade the stores through the month of April before a review is completed.

The retailer has launched a "final liquidation sale".

The administrator said earlier that the business has experienced challenging trading conditions, adding that “Quiz had to contend with strong economic headwinds including changing consumer habits, cost pressures from business rates and the recent increases to employment costs”.

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Interpath said that “in response to these challenges, the directors worked tirelessly to explore options to safeguard the future of Quiz, including efforts to source funding”.

It said: “However, with no solvent solutions available, they took the difficult decision to place these companies into insolvency.”

At that stage, there were 109 redundancies across Quiz’s head office in Glasgow and distribution centre in Bellshill.

Mr McAlinden, head of Interpath in Scotland, said then that it intended to “continue to trade all stores and the concessions in Ireland as a going concern for as long as we can while we assess options for the business”.

The countdown deadline was first reported in Retail Week. 

The firm said Quiz concessions which trade from New Look and Matalan stores in the UK are not part of the administration process.

Full list of Quiz stores at risk of closure

Quiz stores at risk of closure later this month:

• Aberdeen
• Basingstoke
• CastleCourt shopping centre, Belfast
• Bracknell
• Cardiff
• Carlisle
• Castleford
• Clydebank
• Craigavon
• Derby
• Dunfermline
• Eastbourne
• Metrocentre shopping centre, Gateshead
• Braehead shopping centre, Glasgow
• Buchanan Galleries shopping centre, Glasgow
• Glasgow Fort shopping centre, Glasgow
• St Enoch shopping centre, Glasgow
• Hanley
• Hull
• Inverness
• Irvine
• White Rose shopping centre, Leeds
• Leicester
• Livingston
• Manchester Arndale shopping centre
• The Trafford Centre, Arndale
• Mansfield
• Merryhill
• Newry
• Newtownabbey
• Northampton
• Norwich
• Portsmouth
• Romford
• Meadowhall shopping centre, Sheffield
• Stirling
• Telford
• Lakeside shopping centre, Thurrock
• Warrington
• Watford

Quiz's concession in Ireland at risk:

• Anthony Ryans, Galway
• Goods of Kilkenny, Kilkenny
• Menarys, Letterkenny
• Mullaney Brothers, Sligo
• Shaws, Carlow
• Shaws, Drogheda
• Shaws, Wexford