Matalan founder John Hargreaves is poised to lose control of the clothing giant he set up almost 40 years ago. 

Invesco, Man GLG, Napier Park and Tresidor will seize the chain tomorrow. 

They have agreed to wipe £250million off the company’s debt and inject up to £100 million in funds, securing its future. 

Struggle: Matalan has 230 stores in the UK and still attracts more than £1billion sales a year

Struggle: Matalan has 230 stores in the UK and still attracts more than £1billion sales a year

Struggle: Matalan has 230 stores in the UK and still attracts more than £1billion sales a year

The weight of debt had already forced the former market stall trader to step down as chairman last year. 

He has since battled to maintain his ownership of the business.

It has 230 stores in the UK and still attracts more than £1billion sales a year despite fierce competition from Primark, Asda and Tesco. 

The Hargreaves family took a £250million dividend in 2010 after saddling the business with a £500million loan. By 2015, there were already warnings signs it had taken on too much debt. 

Monaco-based mogul Hargreaves opened his first Matalan in 1985. He had a stint on the stock market before taking it private again in 2006.

#fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle#mobile {display:none} #fiveDealsWidget {display:block; float:left; clear:both; max-width:636px; margin:0; padding:0; line-height:120%; font-size:12px} #fiveDealsWidget div, #fiveDealsWidget a {margin:0; padding:0; line-height:120%; text-decoration: none; font-family:Arial, Helvetica ,sans-serif} #fiveDealsWidget .widgetTitleBox {display:block; float:left; width:100%; background-color:#af1e1e; } #fiveDealsWidget .widgetTitle {color:#fff; text-transform: uppercase; font-size:18px; font-weight:bold; margin:6px 10px 4px 10px; } #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {float:left; display:block; width:124px; margin-right:4px; margin-top:5px; background-color: #e3e3e3; min-height:200px;} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {margin-right:0} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle {display:block; margin:10px 5px; color:#000; font-weight:bold} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage img {float:left; display:block; margin:0; padding:0} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {border:1px solid #ccc} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage img {width:100%; height:auto} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemdesc {float:left; display:block; color:#004db3; font-weight:bold; margin:5px;} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemRate {float:left; display:block; color:#000; margin:5px} #fiveDealsWidget .dealFooter {display:block; float:left; width:100%; margin-top:5px; background-color:#e3e3e3 } #fiveDealsWidget .footerText {font-size:10px; margin:10px 10px 10px 10px;} @media (max-width: 635px) { #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {width:19%; margin-right:1%} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {width:20%} } @media (max-width: 560px) { #fiveDealsWidget #desktop {display:none;} #fiveDealsWidget #mobile {display:block!important} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {background-color: #fff; height:auto; min-height:auto} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {border-bottom:1px solid #ececec; margin-bottom:5px; padding-bottom:10px} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {border-bottom:0px solid #ececec; margin-bottom:5px; padding-bottom:0px} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem, #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {width:100%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {float:left; display:inline-block} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {width:35%; margin-right:1%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent {width:63%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle {margin: 0px 5px 5px; font-size:16px} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent .dealItemdesc, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent .dealItemRate {clear:both} }

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Craft breweries face bitter battle

The number of breweries going bust has tripled in the past year…

UK’s cheapest house is three-bed terrace in Wales up for auction with guide price of £0 – but it needs A LOT of work

BRITAIN’S cheapest house is set to go on auction with a guide…

Britain’s only battery cell maker AMTE will collapse within days without more cash

AMTE Power, Britain’s only homegrown battery cell maker, has warned it will…

Mum and daughter locked in bitter row over £7.5MILLION inheritance after dad left behind house and farm when he died

By Jonathan Rose A GRANDAD left his grandkids only £50 each from…