Leicestershire shoe retailer ‘on the brink of administration’

Hundreds of jobs at Hinckley-based Jones Bootmaker could go as the firm prepares to enter administration.

The retailer, which employs 800 people, is owned by private equity firm Alteri and has filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator as it looks for a buyer, according to reports.

Alteri has been looking for a buyer for some time, but filing for administration would protect the high street retailer from creditors looking to recoup their debts.

Alteri is being advised by KPMG.

Alteri bought Hinckley-based Jones the Bootmaker two years ago for £12m in a deal that also included Brantano, the brand which has since been put through a pre-pack.

Alteri has spent money on a new head office for Jones the Bootmaker and a revamped website offering click and collect services.

Last September, Alteri named retail veteran David Riddiford as Jones’s new chief executive.