Major British shoe chain closes 33 shops after administration as jobs lost

Shoe chain Russell & Bromley has closed 33 shops, the retailer said in a statement today. The footwear retailer said it had more than 300 employees before the closures, with administrators reporting redundancies . Administrators have said the planned closure of the 33 stores and nine concessions not acquired by Next is now complete. The last Russell & Bromley store is understood to have closed its doors on April 23 last week after the firm announced the first 10 closures on April 21. The retailer had 320 employees working in its stores before the closures with administrators Interpath yet to confirm how many left the store ahead of being made redundant. “All stores that did not transfer to Next as part of that transaction closed on or before 23 April 2026,” the joint administrators said in a statement. Regrettably, these closures mean that the majority of employees working in the non‑transferring stores have been made redundant. “The administrators and their teams are engaging closely with all affected staff and will be providing support throughout the process, including assisting individuals in submitting claims to the redundancy payments service. The administrators continue to oversee the wind‑down of the remaining parts of the business and will provide further updates as appropriate.” On January 21 it was announced that Next had acquired Russell & Bromley in a £2.5m pre-pack administration cash deal. The sale saw Next scoop the Russell & Bromley brand, other intellectual property and three of its stores, Drapers reports . Three stores in Chelsea and Mayfair, London, and Bluewater shopping centre, Kent were included in the purchase. Suppliers reportedly said that they had received no communication from Russell & Bromley since the announcement at the time of the Next acquisition.