All of H&M’s youth-focused Monki stores will close next year, the latest in a wave of retail closures.
Last year, the clothing retail giant announced it would merge Monki into fashion brand Weekday to ‘form the umbrella of a new youth destination’.
Despite claiming the brands would remain separate, H&M has now revealed it will instead close all Monki stores.
Only ‘a limited number’ will survive in a new Weekday form.
H&M acquired Monki in 2008, but it has failed to find success with separate fashion brands aimed at younger people.
It currently has 56 Monki stores around the world, seven of which are in the UK.
H&M hasn’t yet announced which stores – or how many – will be switched to Weekday, or how many jobs will be affected.
In a statement, H&M said: ‘A limited number of Monki stores are intended to be transformed into multi-brand Weekday destinations, while the others are intended to be closed.
‘The newly formed Weekday multi-brand destination will cater to customers’ high aesthetic standards, while embracing their multitude of unique expressions.
‘Being mindful about the changes this might entail for our colleagues; we look forward to this exciting new chapter on the way to something great.’
The full list of Monki stores in the UK:
- London – 37 Carnaby St, Soho, W1F 7DT Bristol – Cabot Circus, Concorde St, BS1 3BX
- Birmingham – High Street, 41-43 High Street, B4 7SL
- Bristol – Concorde Street, BS1 2BX
- Sheffield – 108 Pinstone Street, S1 2HQ
- Manchester – Arndale Centre Unit L31 & L32, Arndale Shopping Centre, M4 3AQ
- Newcastle – St Andrews Way, Eldon Square, NE1 7XD
- Glasgow – Buchanan Galleries, Buchanan St, G1 2FF
The Monki closures are just the latest set of stores to announce they’re being shuttered.
Homebase is closing 74 of its DIY stores, 77 of Dobbies Garden Centres are closing, while WHSmith has closed numerous branches with more to follow.
The smaller brands are suffering too. Harringtons Eel and Pie House in Tooting is closing after being run by the same family for 116 years.
The independent City Radio Stores on Bond Street, Ealing, is also bowing out after nearly a century.
Meanwhile, icon of the north west, Oddie’s faces closure if it can’t find a buyer for its 13 stores after 119 years serving baked goods in Lancashire.
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