Evans sell-off 'quashes hopes for the rescue of all of Arcadia retail empire'

The Arcadia Group went into administration recently, putting 1,000 jobs in Ireland at risk, although senior retail analyst Chloe Collins says there is "no doubt that Topshop will attract multiple bids".

Cork’s Topshop Topman of the Arcadia Group, which collapsed into administration. Picture: Dan Linehan

Lingering hopes that a buyer would be found for all of the fashion chains owned by the Arcadia retail giant, best known for its Topshop stores, have been "squashed" as parts of Evans have been sold, a senior analyst has said.  

The deal involves the administrators in Britain selling off Evans online and warehouse operations only, which means its stores will close, according to Chloe Collins, senior retail analyst at Global Data. UK administrator Deloitte in the UK said the stores will continue to trade for the time being.