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(Update) The chain of accessories Claire’s also filed for bankruptcy in Belgium, after his American parent company asked for protection against his creditors. The shops will remain open for the moment, but a hundred jobs are threatened.
The chain is no longer viable
The hundred employees in Claire’s in Belgium was informed on Wednesday morning, during an extraordinary works council, of the company’s bankruptcy, reports RTL Info. The chain has around fifteen stores in the country. Claire’s stores in Germany, Austria and Italy also close. In France, the company has already been placed in receivership by the Paris court last week: candidates for the takeover have until September 19 to make an offer. Also in the United Kingdom, the chain studies strategic options.
Its European activities no longer seem viable following the bankruptcy of its American parent company, which is crumbling under the debts. The retailer is faced with the growing competition of Chinese online stores at low prices and fears the impact of American import rights, as most of its products are imported from China.
“Unpaid July wages”
In a reaction, the ACLVB union requires clarification and respect for workers after the declaration of bankruptcy of Claire’s Belgium. Some employees are still waiting for their July salary. “These are people who invest themselves day after day to maintain the brand afloat and who are today in a situation of total uncertainty,” says Noëlle Pelanis, permanent ACLVB secretary.
This article was supplemented by the reaction of the ACLVB.
