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A quarter of Oddbins’ stores have shut since February
More than a quarter of Oddbins’ stores have shut since the retailer was placed in administration, db has learned.
Since Oddbins was put into administration by its parent company European Food Brokers Ltd at the end of January, blaming the uncertain economic pressure from Brexit, rising rents and the deterioration of the high street, 13 of its stores have been shut.
Although the administrators originally said they planned to continue to operate the stores as a going concern while assessing the companies options, out of the retailer’s original 45 Oddbins stores, only 32 have remained open, according to Oddbin’s website and customer service team.
The majority of the closures have been in London, which has gone from having 29 stores to 20. Those that have shut in London include Notting Hill Gate, South Kensington, Crouch End Broadway, Kentish Town, Kennington, Balham, Northcote Road, Wimbledon Village and Richmond Hill.
It has also closed some of its regional shops, including those in Poole, Dorking, Tunbridge Wells and one of its shops in Glasgow.
The remaining shops are located in the Clifton area of Bristol, Liverpool, Oxford, Twickenham St Margarets, with eight in Scotland including three in Glasgow, three in Edinburgh and two in Aberdeen.
Db understands that although suppliers were being paid in February, store managers had to wait until March to receive stock, with some taking to Twitter to let customers know stock was back.
It is uncertain how many off-licenses remain open under Oddbins’ sister company Wine Cellar Trading, which operated more than 50 stores, primarily in the North East and North West of England, under the Booze Buster, Simply Drinks, Oddies and Shop2Go fascias. The company was put into administration at the same time as Whittalls Wine Merchants 1 and Whittalls Wine Merchants (both trading as Oddbins) along with parent company EFB Retail Ltd.
Administrators Duff & Phelps were approached for comment but have not responded to db’s request.