Another high street casualty as administrators called in for toy store business

A toy store chain with a branch in York city centre has gone into administration.

Moorfields Advisory has been appointed administrators of Hawkin’s Bazaar. The business has 20 stores in the UK and Ireland employing 177 staff. Its York shop is in High Ousegate.

The company’s stores will continue trading until further notice, and stock will be subject to clearance discounts and special promotions. Gift cards will continue to be honoured on a limited basis.

Tom Straw and Simon Thomas, Partners at Retail specialists, Moorfields Advisory, were appointed Joint Administrators today – 23 January 2020.

Hawkin’s Bazaar is a novelty gift and toy shop chain founded in 1973. The administrator’s statement explains the business had a challenging Christmas period, reflective of the struggling high street retail sector generally.

Their statement adds: “No further gift cards will be sold from today, given the current levels of promotional activity, and it will not be possible to issue cash refunds. Website sales have been suspended.

Straw said: “Hawkin’s Bazaar is a retail brand with a strong heritage both on the high street and online.

“Unfortunately, despite making changes to their offering to appeal to the shift in modern buying patterns, the retailer still struggled to compete with online retailers such as Amazon etc.”

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