An LK Bennett spokeswoman denied that April 6 is a key deadline for the sale and said that adviser Rothschild would not be drawn on founder Linda Bennett’s personal tax situation.
Second-round bids are to be submitted by the end of this month. The price tag is understood to be£150 million, although industry sources are sceptical a sale will be completed at such a price.
The spokeswoman said: “The process is on track and, as we have stated from the start, will take until at least spring. We are under no time pressure.”
A number of retailers have completed deals in advance of the deadline. This month, Dreams founder Mike Clare sold the beds business to private equity fund Exponent, in a deal thought to be close to£250 million.
In February, luxury branded shoe retailer Kurt Geiger was sold in a management buy-out backed by Graphite Capital for£95 million.
Bennett, who is known as the queen of the kitten heel, pulled the plug on an original sale of the business in 2004, after poor Christmas trading meant offers fell short of the£75 million asking price.
About 10 footwear suppliers will attend a meeting with PricewaterhouseCoopers on April 15 to discuss their grievances in the pre-pack administration of Stead & Simpson, following their petition for a meeting last week.
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