Formerly Claire’s Accessories, Claire’s is an American jewellery, toys and accessories retailer with a major UK presence primarily aimed toward girls, tweens and teens. It was founded in 1961. Claire’s trades through around 2,400 company-operated stores and more than 900 concessions across 26 countries in North America and Europe. There are around 600 franchised stores further afield. Claire’s strives to connect with its customers as their “friend”, so engaging especially with teenagers on social media is a big part of the strategy. Driving sales via social media channels is now a key focus. Claire’s have also joined forces with Asda to open in-store concessions and is looking to partner with etailers too to drive digital sales. Maintaining its leadership in ear piercing is also a key priority, as the retailer aims to be a young girl’s first port of call for personal milestones including ear piercing, first day of school and first date. While the brand is universal, localised product ranges and store designs allow each store to adapt to the needs of its market.
Claire’s, the accessories specialist with about 350 shops, is understood to be pondering a CVA.
Claire’s Accessories’ UK business does not face looming closure, despite reports that the retailer’s core US business may file for bankruptcy.
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