Another one bites the dust! Popular luxury clothing brand to close all its Australian stores as the retail apocalypse looms
- British brand Jigsaw London has shut down all of its Australian stores as of Friday
- The company announced it was closing down on the same day it ended business
- Both the online shop and physical stores have closed but returns are still active
- Jigsaw fans were devastated and disappointed they got no warning of closure
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
British luxury clothing store Jigsaw London has shut down all of its Australian stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The brand announced it was immediately ending all of its operations Down Under with a statement on its website and Instagram on Friday.
‘After many wonderful years, Jigsaw London will be closing its doors on Friday 29th May,’ the company wrote.
‘Due to exceptional circumstances the business has made the difficult decision to close its Australian division to simplify its business and focus on its home market in the UK.’
A model poses in Jigsaw London clothing. The British luxury clothing brand announced it was immediately shutting down all of its Australian stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic on Friday
The brand made the announcement with a statement (pictured) on its website and Instagram on Friday, prompting disappointed fans to voice their discontent
In the FAQ section of its website, the brand confirmed it was the COVID-19 pandemic that decimated its business, forcing them to shut down.
‘The coronavirus outbreak has had a severe impact on retailers around the world,’ the website read.
Jigsaw’s Australian fans were deeply saddened by the news and flooded to Instagram comment section.
‘Devastated. You are one of my favourite labels in Australia,’ one person wrote.
While many people were sad, others were angry that Jigsaw announced it was closing on the day of its closure.
‘Are you kidding? We’re told on the actual day it’s closing; no warning? No more Australian online presence either?’ one person wrote.
‘The 29th is already over, so you closed the stores for good THEN made the announcement?’ another person said.
One person said: ‘There could have been some kind of warning, very poorly managed!’
A model poses in Jigsaw’s summer collection. In the FAQ section of its website, the brand confirmed the COVID-19 pandemic had decimated its business, forcing them to shut down
Jigsaw’s Australian website now just a ‘goodbye’ statement and an FAQ section with no online shop, meaning that customers can no longer purchase clothes.
Meanwhile, the British version of the website only delivers to the UK and EU.
Customers can still return products they bought online or in-store until July 1.
The brand has not ruled out returning to Australian shores in the future provided the retail market is favourable.
‘We are always looking for opportunities, so if one arises for us to reopen here – we will certainly take it!’ the website read.
Jigsaw’s closure comes after PAS group, which owns 225 shops in Australia and NZ, went into financial administration.
Some of its stores included Review, Black Pepper, Yarra Trail, Designworks and JETS Swimwear and it also supplied stock to Myer and other stores.
Meanwhile, David Jones is set to shut down its less profitable department stores.
Target will also shut down 53 of its stores within the next 12 months, while another 53 will be converted into Kmarts.
Jigsaw is known for its sophisticated, high-end pieces. Australian customers can still return products they bought online or in-store until July 1