A high-street homeware chain has announced it will be shutting down all of its shops after entering administration. Fired Earth, which opened in 1983, specialises in luxury tiles and interior design products.
In addition to stores, the company has 22 independent stockists and three branches in Europe. Although the company’s head office and warehouse in Banbury will remain open to fulfil existing orders, all 26 stores will be closing, resulting in 133 staff members becoming redundant. Administrators Alex Cadwallader and Dane O’Hara from Leonard Curtis, one of the UK’s largest corporate recovery firms, were appointed on October 31. Mr O’Hara said: “Fired Earth has been loss-making for some time. In the last three years, the company has been supported by its shareholders while efforts were made to return the business to profitability. Unfortunately, the company has continued to incur trading losses, and its investor was not prepared to provide further funding.”
Despite generating £15 million in annual turnover, the interiors firm accumulated £1.6 million in losses during 2024 alone. Talks are ongoing over a potential sale of its assets, The Sun reports. The sets have been sold to an undisclosed buyer.
A notice displayed at the Harrogate branch informed customers: “Our showroom is currently closed and we’re unable to take any new orders at this time.”
The closure of Fired Earth marks another blow for Britain’s struggling high streets, with several brands collapsing due to rising costs and falling consumer confidence.
The Centre for Retail Research forecasts that over 17,000 shops will shut their doors, a significant rise from the 13,479 closures in 2023.
Full list of Fired Earth stores closing
Adderbury
Bath
Beaconsfield
Blackheath
Bristol
Cambridge
Canterbury
Cheltenham
Chester
Chiswick
Cobham
Darts Farm, Exeter
Dulwich
Edinburgh
Guildford
Harrogate
Haslemere
Hewitts Farm, Orpington
Islington
Knutsford
New Kings Road, London
Northcote Road, London
Sherborne
St Albans
Truro
Winchester