Shoe Studio is expected to be sold to rival chain Dune.

Shoe Studio, formerly part of Mosaic, was placed into administration yesterday and separated from the wider fashion group which was bought back by Kaupthing and management and re-named Aurora.

The shoe business, which sells brands including Pied a Terre and Nine West was put up for sale in January. It has 270 department store concessions.

Dune has 43 stores in the UK and Ireland and plans to grow its international store portfolio to 50 in the next 5 years.

The shoe chain was amongst several parties interested in the group including Scottish entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter’s West Coast Capital which also owns shoe chain Office.

Dune was founded by chairman Daniel Rubin who last year brought in former Shoe Studio chief operating officer John Egan as its chief executive.