Clarks account loss drives Bell Shoes under

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 19, 2018

Losing a Clarks contract has dealt a death blow to a shoe firm based in Buxton in Derbyshire, with around half of Bells Shoes’ £18 million turnover having been accounted for by the large shoe chain.

The company, which had employed 50 people, has gone into voluntary liquidation, in a carefully planned process that means the brand will continue to exist. Inquesta, has been appointed liquidator, according to reports.

Its online operation will carry on with Redfoot Shoes investing £1 million to develop the e-tail business after buying the website, the inventory and intellectual property.

Redfoot, originally part of The Bacup Shoe Company and since spun off as an independent, has its own existing operations and sells around 0.4 million pairs of shoes annually. It’s the company behind a folding shoe that can be carried in a handbag as a quick replacement option for when high heels become too much to bear. It also owns menswear label Goodwin Smith.

It said there are lots of synergies between its business and the Bells online operation.

Bells Shoes also ran a single store in Buxton and that is continuing to operate under the new names Bells of Buxton. It’s now part of the Bells Group that’s owned by the same family formerly in control of the liquidated firm.