Key facts
- Harvey Nichols' Birmingham store will close in January.
- At least 60 jobs will be lost with the Birmingham store's closure.
- Frasers Group acquired Harvey Nichols in mid-August for £43m.
- The Leeds and Bristol Harvey Nichols stores will be converted to the Flannels brand.
- Harvey Nichols owed about £100m to unsecured creditors at the time of its administration.
Harvey Nichols' Birmingham store is set to close in January, leading to the loss of at least 60 jobs. The move is part of a broader shake-up under Mike Ashley's Frasers Group, which acquired the department store chain in mid-August for £43 million.
Frasers Group plans to rebrand the Harvey Nichols stores in Leeds and Bristol as Flannels, another brand in its luxury fashion portfolio. The future of the Manchester, Edinburgh, and London stores remains unclear, though Ashley had previously indicated he would keep the Knightsbridge (London) and Edinburgh branches.
About 1,000 of Harvey Nichols' 1,200 employees and six UK stores were saved when Frasers Group took over. The chain's Oxo Tower restaurant was sold to a separate buyer, preserving 130 jobs. At the time of its administration, Harvey Nichols owed approximately £100 million to unsecured creditors, including numerous luxury brands.
Frasers Group has been expanding its luxury fashion interests, notably through its Flannels chain and significant stakes in brands like Mulberry. The group also recently increased its stake in Hugo Boss to 48%. Frasers Group did not respond to a request for comment.