In a pre-pack administration deal, Next agreed to acquire Cath Kidston’s brand name, domain names and intellectual property.
The cathkidston.com domain will be licenced back to the administrators for a period of up to 12 weeks to clear stock ahead of its relaunch under Next’s ownership.
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Last July, Cath Kidston was acquired by private equity firm Hilco Global.
At the time Cath Kidston’s non-executive chair Marty Wikstrom said the deal would accelerate Cath Kidston’s growth moving forward and she described Hilco’s team as having “considerable expertise in branded fashion and consumer businesses”.
In February, Hilco Capital put the company back up for sale.
Cath Kidston first collapsed into administration in 2020 with the loss of nearly 1,000 jobs.
It was established by its eponymous founder in 1993 and became a high street fixture with scores of standalone shops.
Like many retailers, its fortunes were hit by the pandemic, forcing it into insolvency just under three years ago.
