Claire’s is expected to return to UK high streets from June, just days after the jewellery and accessories chain closed its final British stores.

French entrepreneur Julien Jarjoura, who operates Claire’s stores across France, Austria, Portugal and Spain, is planning to reopen around 50 stores in the UK after receiving the backing of the brand’s US owner Ames Watson.

Jarjoura, the founder of jewellery business Une Ligne, told The Guardian he was already signing new leases with UK landlords and planned to reopen between four and 10 stores a week from June.

The move comes shortly after Claire’s shut its remaining UK estate, resulting in the loss of more than 1,000 jobs and bringing an end to three decades on British high streets.

“I feel so sad when I see such a nice business going down,” Jarjoura said. “The brand was basically dead and we’re bringing it back to life.”

Jarjoura, who first attempted to buy Claire’s in January, said the retailer still had strong brand recognition in the UK.

“A lot of people think Claire’s is a British brand. It is extremely famous in the UK and there is no way it is going away,” he said.

The entrepreneur, who already runs around 240 Claire’s stores across Europe, said the business had suffered from a lack of investment in both stores and products.

He said its UK offer had become too expensive and overly reliant on heavy discounting, including promotions such as “buy three get four”.

Jarjoura is planning to revamp the store estate, continue offering ear-piercing services, and introduce a refreshed jewellery and accessories range, with prices starting from £1.90 and extending to more than £100.

“There will definitely be some brand repositioning,” he said. “We are not a discount store but we like to sell stuff at a fair price.”

However, he admitted the Claire’s brand had been damaged in the UK and that it would “take a bit of time to bring back the customers”.

Jarjoura has hired some of Claire’s former UK executives and expects to retain some of its 356 UK concessions, but has not taken on the retailer’s Birmingham head office or purchased old stock from administrators Kroll.

He said the revived UK business would be debt-free as he is funding the relaunch himself, adding that he does not expect it to deliver an immediate profit.

“We need to invest in the business,” he said. “We are not unrealistic in terms of getting benefits from this company for three to five years.”

Jarjoura said he was not deterred by industry concerns around business rates and employment costs in the UK.

“Nothing is easy but you can’t always be blaming someone else for your own faults,” he said.

Founded in Chicago in 1961, Claire’s entered the UK market in 1996 through the acquisition of accessories chain Bow Jangles.

The retailer became a high street staple, particularly among teenagers and tweens, but has struggled in recent years amid rising competition and a lack of investment.

Its challenges deepened in August last year after Claire’s US and Canada business filed for bankruptcy for the second time in seven years.

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