Sears Plc - Brands After Demise of Sears

Brands After Demise of Sears

After taking on a raft of footwear brands, Stylo subsequently decided to consolidate the stores under their Barratts and PriceLess Shoes branding; as such, many of the other brands (Lilley & Skinner, Trueform, Saxone, FHW) were axed. The deal meant Stylo had a surfeit of retail space in many locations, and so decided to sell off surplus stores to other operators, including Shoe Zone, or close them. Dolcis was not included in the original sale of shoe stores to Stylo and traded independently until 1998 when it was purchased by fashion retail group Alexon. The chain split off from Alexon in 2006, but collapsed into administration in 2008, with the rump of the chain purchased by Stylo. Lilley and Skinner brand then traded under the Stead and Simpson banner.

Adams Childrenswear - trading as 'Adams Kids' - remained on the high street until 2010, after some difficulties over the years, and collapsed into administration twice since 2006; Former Stead & Simpson chairman John Shannon purchased a portion of the chain's outlets and the Adams brand, before the company fell into adminsistration for a third time in 2010. The brand survives as an online business.

William Hill plc is owned by private equity firms Cinven and CVC Capital Partners. It remains one of the UK's leading betting and gaming organisations.

Selfridges is owned by Canadian firm Galen Weston and has expanded beyond London with branches in Manchester and Birmingham.

Lewis's was split from Selfridges and was placed into Administration in 1991. Branches in Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Leeds and Hanley were bought out by Owen Owen.

Richard Shops were closed down by Arcadia Group shortly after the firm took the chain over from Sears. Miss Selfridge and Wallis remain part of Arcadia, and the firm has also continued to develop and evolve the Outfit out-of-town fashion store format initially developed by Sears. Arcadia sold Warehouse as part of the deal which created Rubicon Retail in 2002. Subsequently Rubicon merged with Mosaic Fashions, and following the collapse of Mosaic, Warehouse is in the hands of the new firm, Aurora Fashions, which took on many of Mosaic's brands.