Is Roland Mouret set to appoint administrators?

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 1, 2021

Luxury fashion brand Roland Mouret could be the next British designer label to go under with a news report saying it has filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators.

Like other high-end labels, Mouret’s business would have been devastated by the effects of pandemic lockdowns. The brand’s focus on occasion dressing was a problem as social events, weddings, red carpets and more were cancelled globally due to the fear of increasing infections.

And while many businesses pivoted to loungewear as an alternative, that’s not something likely to have worked well given Mouret’s dressy brand profile.

The Times reported the latest development after Sky News had last month said the company’s investors had been talking about financing options to keep it going.

Mouret part owns the label along with entertainment mogul Simon Fuller. In an interesting move last year, its landlord Grosvenor Estates also took a stake in the business after launching a new fund aimed at helping tenants get through what was the worst crisis for retail in decades.

A number of British business went under during the pandemic with well known names including Laura Ashley, Debenhams, Jaeger and Oasis failing and now being under new — and very different — ownership.

At the top end of the market, the highest-profile British casualty has been Ralph & Russo so far. But just because other businesses have made it this far doesn’t guarantee their futures. After the problems of the pandemic period, having enough cash on hand to take advantage of the reopening could be a big issue for many.

Roland Mouret hasn’t commented on the story in the Times. The business hasn’t filed recent accounts yet but in 2019, it had sales of £16.1 million and pre-tax profits of £242,667.