A MAJOR fashion retailer is to disappear from the high street forever as it closes its final store for the last time.
Popular chain Cath Kidston, which once boasted hundreds of shops around the world, will close its last store for good today.
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The brand was bought by Next after falling into administration – but the sale didn’t include the physical shops.
Next bought the brand name, domain names and intellectual property for £8.5 million.
The four remaining standalone stores continued to trade alongside the website after the sale.
But The Sun revealed earlier this week that all of the stores will have ceased trading by the end of today.
Cath Kidston in Ashford, Kent, York Outlet, York, and Cheshire Oaks, Ellesmere Port, had their final day of trading on Sunday.
The final branch in Piccadilly, London will close today.
Famous for its pretty floral designs and quirky vintage-style homeware, Cath Kidston has been a part of the British high street since 1993.
It first collapsed into administration in April 2020 with 60 UK stores closing and 908 jobs losses.
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But it has still been trading online and the four standalone stores have continued to operate.
The Cath Kidston website closed last week, and customers are now being redirected to the Next website.
Shoppers can still pick up Cath Kidston products from Next, which range from clothing to homeware.
The brand was set up by designer Cath Kidston and had more than 200 outlets around the world at its peak.
Next has been known to save failing companies from administration.
In November last year, it bought furniture store Made.com, which sold its intellectual property, brand and website to the retailer.
Next started selling Gap clothing online in late 2021 too, after it took over the running of the high street brand.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, it took a stake in baby and maternity clothing retailer JoJo Maman Bebe.
It comes after big fashion chain M&Co relaunched last week after its stores disappeared from the high street.
The retailer will be returning to high streets again from this autumn and 50 new shops are expected to open over the next two years, The Sun exclusively revealed.
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