Accessories brand and former high street stalwart Claire’s confirmed this week that it was the closure of all of its UK stores, culminating in a loss of 1300 jobs.
It was one of many high street brands that fell into hard times after the pandemic, along with other big names like Debenhams and Topshop. Claire’s was eventually rescued by Modella Capital last summer, but the US firm still could not prevent the brand from falling back into administration this January.
But what went wrong for this quirky accessories brand, which was once the favourite among British teens?
Style clash
While the business has pointed to the tough conditions for physical stores and the implementation of policies like the NICS hike, which have piled on more costs, fashion experts have highlighted how Claire’s slow evolution and outdate styled contributed to its downfall.
Fashion journalist Priya Raj, for instance, told the BBC this week that younger shoppers have “moved away” from the kind of novelty jewellery with which Claire’s made its name.
Instead, this is a generation which is constantly surveying social media trends, so style evolves much more rapidly. Instead of the mass-produced, colourful products that Claire’s sells – or “the cutesy, juvenile look” as Raj calls it – they are looking at more curated products that usually have a favourite influencer’s backing.
When they are on the lookout for something more low-value, however, the first port of call is rarely a high street name like Claire’s.
Instead, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are more likely to look further afield, specifically to Chinese giants like Shein and Temu. Along with incredibly low prices, these retailers produce and deliver a huge ecosystem of products at dazzling speeds – including copies of more expensive, viral products – which has left retailers like Claire’s lagging behind.
A brand not built for Gen Alpha
Claire’s simply wasn’t cut out to compete for the attention of younger shoppers with a world of choice at their feet, both online and on the high street.
Much like Gen Z, Gen Alpha use social media to follow trends and guide their buying decisions, perhaps even more religiously than their generational predecessors. YouTube is still a go-to for many, with as many as 60% of parents reporting that their children flock to the site for “shopping-related content, such as hauls, unboxings and shopping vlogs.”
For this generation, online storefronts like TikTok Shop, which prioritise ease and impromptu purchases, are not new frontiers, but simply one of many channels they grew up with. Trends from other markets that used to take months to get to the UK now explode across the globe in a matter of days.
Some legacy brands have adapted well to the new state of affairs. John Lewis, for example, is a recent big-name retailer to invest in AI-powered shopping and launch its own TikTok shop. Claire’s simply didn’t jump on the bandwagon.
All this isn’t to say that Gen Alpha aren’t seeking in-person shopping experiences, but crucially, Claire’s didn’t roll with the punches here either.
According to research published by Numerator in September 2025, two-thirds (66%) of Gen Alpha parents say shopping in-store is something their child prefers, in part because they appreciate family time outside the home (47%), and also the sense that shopping trips are fun (45%).
Stores like Primark and Superdrug have capitalised on this by becoming places where teens can find trending products they see on social media, and in doing so, are surviving. Shops that are simply selling what many people would affectionately call “tat” – trinkets untethered from the internet trends of the day – have no place in the current market.
For smaller businesses, this is the latest reminder that Gen Alpha is constantly being bombarded with content pushing products. Cutting through that noise with an authentic, relevant brand message and high-quality products is absolutely everything.
If you don’t keep moving, unfortunately, you’re going to be outflanked in the algorithm and in person, too.
