A major British high street retailer has collapsed, bringing the curtain down on more than five decades of trading.
The disappearance marks another blow for struggling town centres as a well-known discount chain shuts for good.
The Original Factory Shop has vanished from British high streets after its remaining outlets shut their doors on 4 April, marking the end of a retailer that had traded for over 50 years.
The closure follows TOFS entering administration on 28 January, leaving 1,180 workers without jobs across the company’s 137 stores and its Bolton headquarters.
Administrators from Interpath confirmed the final shops ceased trading earlier this month, with the majority of staff now made redundant as the business winds down permanently.
A spokesperson for Interpath explained that stores were wound down gradually due to the company’s financial situation, with “everything must go” clearance sales running at every location during the final weeks.
“Without any viable offers to take the business forward, it was not possible for The Original Factory Shop to continue trading and all remaining stores were closed on 4 April 2026,” the spokesperson stated.
The Original Factory Shop has closed all stores
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PAA small team of employees has been kept on to help administrators formally close down the company’s affairs, while specialist support is being provided to help affected workers claim redundancy payments.
Modella Capital, the private equity firm that owns TOFS, attributed the collapse to poor consumer confidence and “adverse government fiscal policies”.
The company acquired the retailer in February 2025 when it operated 180 stores, though this number was reduced after TOFS entered a company voluntary arrangement just two months later.
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A small team of employees has been kept on to help administrators formally close down the company’s affairs
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GETTYOriginally established in 1969, the discount chain had been a fixture on British high streets for more than half a century before its demise.
Claire’s Accessories, another brand under Modella’s ownership, has similarly fallen into administration, with numerous UK and Irish stores closing during restructuring.
New Look is also reducing its presence on British high streets, with the fashion retailer shutting its Carrickfergus branch in Northern Ireland yesterday.
The Northern Ireland outlet had been running a closing-down sale ahead of its final day
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GETTYStaff at the store expressed their disappointment on social media, writing: “We are gutted that it is the end of our New Look journey, but unfortunately this is something that is out of our hands.”
The Northern Ireland outlet had been running a closing-down sale ahead of its final day. New Look closed 51 stores during the previous year, though the Carrickfergus location represents its only closure this month.