Cath Kidston, Piccadilly: Final UK store to close - with Next to keep the brand alive

Vintage-inspired fashion and design brand Cath Kidston’s final UK store will close for good in London on Wednesday (June 28).

The flagship store in Piccadilly, next to Fortnum & Mason, is the final high street outlet for the company whose intellectual property rights were bought in March by Next from an investment company owned by Hilco Capital.

Next intends to reintroduce the brand online after a “pause”, according to a spokesperson

As part of the administration arrangement, the name was licensed back to administrator PWC to enable stock clearance at remaining stores in London, Ashford in Kent, Ellesmere Port and York.

A spokesperson for PWC said on Monday: “Piccadilly will close for trading on Wednesday (June 28) which will mark the end of the store closures in the UK.”

The brand was launched by entrepreneur and fashion designer Cath Kidston, who opened her first shop in Holland Park in 1994. By 2014 there were 136 outlets around the world.

Kidston had sold her majority share in 2010, and the business went on to struggle, with mass closures beginning in 2020.