Peacocks stores in Fleetwood and Poulton still open for business despite uncertainty

The stores in Fleetwood and Poulton are still open for business, despite uncertainty over the future.

It follows the announcement last week that high street chain Edinburgh Woollen Mill, which owns Peacocks and Jaeger, is close to collapse, with 24,000 jobs in the balance, according to documents filed with the High Court.

For now it's business as usual at both stores, as well as the others in the EWM portfolio.

The company, which has stores in Preston at Dobbies, Fleetwood, St Annes, Chorley and Poulton, has lodged a notice of intention to appoint administrators to look for potential buyers to shore up the struggling business.

Bosses wrote to staff on Friday morning, warning them that the national and local lockdowns had hit sales hard.

The company added that it has been hit by allegations, which it denies, that the retailer and several rivals failed to pay some Bangladeshi suppliers during lockdown in an attempt to cut costs for clothes they were unlikely to sell.

The move by EWM, owned by businessman Philip Day, will see insolvency specialists at FRP spend 10 days carrying out an urgent review ahead of further action.

All stores will continue trading and further details will be announced in due course, the company added, but significant changes are expected.

Peacocks is one of the biggest stores on Lord Street in Fleetwood, and the brand's shop in Poulton is also a major presence in the town centre.

EWM chief executive Steve Simpson said: “As directors we have a duty to the business, our staff, our customers and our creditors to find the very best solution in this brutal environment.

“So we have applied to court for a short breathing space to assess our options before moving to appoint administrators.

“Through this process I hope and believe we will be able to secure the best future for our businesses, but there will inevitably be significant cuts and closures as we work our way through this."