// Johnsons Shoes Company enters administration
// The company operates footwear retailers Johnsons Shoes & Bowleys Fine Shoes
// All 145 furloughed staff will keep the jobs for the time being
The parent company of footwear retailers Johnsons Shoes and Bowleys Fine Shoes has filed for administration, marking yet another casualty amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Established 50 years ago, the family-run Johnsons Shoes Company operates 12 stores in Windsor, Newbury, Staines, Teddington, East Sheen, New Malden, Twickenham, Walton-on-Thames, Northwood, Richmond, Beaconsfield and Farnham.
It said it entered administration after struggling against online competition and suffering the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Ian Defty and Richard Toone from insolvency and restructuring firm CVR Global were appointed as joint administrators.
All of the retailer’s 145 staff furloughed will keep their jobs while the administrators actively seek a buyer for the business.
“Due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown Johnsons Shoe Company lost its ability to continue trading, and it was the final nail in the coffin for a business that was already struggling before the pandemic struck, like many other retailers,” Defty said.
“The business has traded strongly for many years, but last year was particularly difficult for them as they battled with rising rent and business rates, combined with the increasing competition from online shopping.”
He added: “The business’s products have mass family appeal, and if it can attract a buyer who can help it to adapt and trade, possibly via online channels, then it has a strong chance of continuing the strong legacy it has built up over the decades.”
Johnsons Shoes Company’s administration comes after a raft of other British retailers have been forced into insolvency since the Covid-19 outbreak.
These include Laura Ashley, Cath Kidston, Debenhams, Oasis & Warehouse, Antler, Animal, Lombok and BrightHouse.
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