Niche clothing trailblazer High & Mighty, which specialises in men’s outsize fashion, is to be sold in a process likely to involve a pre-pack administration.
A deal is being concluded today and directors have filed notice of intention to appoint administrators. PwC is understood to have been lined up for the role.
Founded in 1956 by entrepreneur Bernard Levy, the family-owned retailer originally traded as The Outsize Manshops and was one of the first to cater for the growing market for large-size clothes.
But the retailer, in which venture capital firm 3i once held a 25% stake, has struggled in recent years as the internet offered shoppers greater choice and other retailers, such as home shopping giant N Brown, muscled in on the market.
The identity of High & Mighty’s buyer is unknown at present but the retailer has held discussions with a number of parties, thought to include SKG Capital, a private equity firm specialising in turnaround situations.
US specialist retailer Rochester, which caters for a similar market to High & Mighty and has a store on London’s Brompton Road opposite Harrods, is also thought to be among the contenders.
High & Mighty has 23 UK stores and shops in Belgium, the Netherlands, Iceland, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. No comment was available from High & Mighty chief executive Judith Levy.
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