A clothing retailer more than half a century old has been forced to close all but one of its stores.
Winfields Outdoors, which sells outdoor clothing and camping equipment, has closed six of its seven branches this month.
Stores in Chester, Redditch, Leeds, Hull, Keswick and Swadlingcote in Derbyshire have all closed after Winfield tumbled into administration.
The only surviving shop is the company’s flagship store and headquarters in Haslingden, Lancashire.
Winfield will, however, continue operating online, the company confirmed in a social media post.
‘We’d like to clear up some confusion and reassure our valued customers that Winfields Outdoors is still open and here to serve you!’ it said.
‘Although some of our stores have closed, our website is running smoothly, and our Haslingden store remains open, ready to help you find all your outdoor gear needs.
‘We’re grateful for your continued support, and despite some recent rumors, the company is still running.’
Locals said it is a ‘shame’ that Winfields has gone bust in what is yet another blow to Britain’s high street.
‘With tears in my eyes I announce another local store gone, Winfields Outdoors,’ said Gina Mattinson on Facebook of the Hull branch, where her son and his wife worked.
‘They’ve ran this shop for many many years. Only to be told we are closing now. We are seeing more and more of this.’
More than 13,000 high street shops closed their doors for good in 2024, the majority being small, independent stores.
‘It’s a great pity to hear this,’ Rossendale councillor Alyson Barnes said, according to the Lancashire Telegraph.
‘They have been a long-established company in the area – it is never good to hear about companies closing down and people losing their jobs.
‘It’s an incredibly challenging environment at the moment, and small businesses, such as Winfields, probably feel it more keenly than some of those that have a bigger online presence.’
Winfields appointed the accountancy firm Cowgills as administrators earlier this month, an April 11 court filing shows.
When a company goes bust, it enters administration. It then hands over everything it owns to an administrator, which will try to find a new buyer and find ways to pay off the company’s debts.
A notice on the Winfields’ website says: ‘The Joint Administrators act as agents of the company and without personal liability at all times.’
Founded by Dale Winfield in 1971, the family-owned company is now led by his wife, June and their children, Joe and Janine.
But the company was battered by the coronavirus pandemic and the cost of living crisis, something that June admitted to in October 2023.
‘Since the COVID outbreak in March 2020, the company continued to take measures to mitigate the impact upon the company and general impact upon trade,’ she said in a director’s report.
‘The company has experienced the perceived impact upon both buying and selling patterns in the wake of the global pandemic.
‘This has impacted not only supply chain issues with increased costs but also seasonality and pan-annual buying patterns of customers.
‘It is expected that the normal pattern and mix of sales will return, albeit over the next couple of years.’
For the year ending January 2023, Winfields’ recorded sales of more than £18 million, compared to more than £19,000,000 the year before.
Cowgills has been approached for comment.
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