La Senza lingerie shops collapse

Lingerie chain La Senza went into administration today triggering 1,300 redundancies and the closure of more than 100 outlets…

Lingerie chain La Senza went into administration today triggering 1,300 redundancies and the closure of more than 100 outlets.

The company operates 15 shops on the island of Ireland including a number of units situated in branches of Debenhams.

Administrator KPMG said it had closed 84 stores and 18 concessions, resulting in more than half of the workforce losing their jobs.

But 1,100 jobs were saved when 60 of its stores were bought by an Arabian retail group Alshaya, which owns stakes in a number of British retailers including Next, Debenhams and Mothercare.

It bought the stores in a controversial "pre-pack" administration deal that allows the assets of companies to be snapped up while its debts are written off.