Phone and footwear retailers compete for La Senza stores

Footwear and phone retailers have been eyeing the store estate, while fashion retailers are also in the mix.

La Senza’s administrator PwC has already begun closing the retailer’s store estate after it fell into administration with 55 shops at the beginning of the month, as revealed by Retail Week.

Vodafone, EE and O2 did not respond to Retail Week at the time of publication.

PwC has shuttered six stores and plans to close another 18. It has received “significant” expressions of interest for the stores. PwC is being advised by Savills and is also still trying to find a buyer for the whole business.

Former La Senza owner Theo Paphitis, who owns rival retailer Boux Avenue also expressed interest in the stores when the retailer first collapsed.

La Senza’s collapse is the second in two years. The UK division of Middle Eastern trading house Alshaya bought La Senza out of administration in a pre-pack deal in 2012. Victoria’s Secret owner, US giant Limited Brands owns the La Senza brand name.

PwC blamed La Senza’s collapse on “very difficult trading conditions” and despite efforts to make it more commercially viable it appointed administrators.