Shutters close for M&Co as brick and mortar shops wind up trading

Almost 2,000 staff in shops across the UK were made redundant after the retailer collapsed.

When will M&Co close? Clothing retailer shuts physical shops after falling into administration STV News

Clothing retailer M&Co has begun wrapping up trading in its stores after it collapsed into administration last year.

The Renfrewshire-based company, previously known as Mackays, has been bought by AK Retail but the new owners haven’t purchased any of its physical shops.

Across 170 stores it employed 1,910 staff.

Some shops closed within hours of the announcement of the administration including the North Lanarkshire location of Bellshill.

Most premises began closing at the end of March with all of the shutters set to come down for the final time by the end of April.

M&Co BellshillGoogle Maps

Ahead of the Easter weekend, staff members at stores in Banff, Berwick, Blairgowrie, Fort William, Lerwick, Nairn, Newton Mearns, Perth, Thurso, Wick and Wishaw announced to customers on social media that the shops had closed for good.

A handful of stores remain open and are set to close in the coming days.

On April 11, M&Co shops in Buckie, Musselburgh and Saltcoats will close, followed by Bathgate, Irvine, Stonehaven, and Stornoway on April 13.

April 15 has been announced as the final opening date of the shops in Orkney Paisley and Peterhead.

Stores in Broughty Ferry, Castle Douglas, Dingwall, Dunoon, Elgin, Forfar, Glenrothes, Haddington, Helensburgh, Inverurie, Lanark, Largs, Milngavie, Montrose, Oban and Troon remain listed as open currently on the M&Co website, but are expected to close down by the end of the month.

M&Co’s online shop is also no longer trading, however administrators do have plans to relaunch the website.

The M&Co brand was purchased for an undisclosed sum but its physical stores were not included in the purchase.

Established as a pawnbrokers in 1834, the business, then known as Mackays, switched to selling clothes in 1953 – led by brothers Len and Iain McGeoch. In 2005, it rebranded to M&Co.

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