The bargain fashion brand M&Co, now owned by AK Retail, plans to reopen a number of its large stores on the high street.
With 50 locations planned over the next two years, some stores are expected to reopen this autumn. After the company went into administration in February, AK Retail, which also owns Yours Clothing, Bad Rhino, and Long Tall Sally, bought the M&Co name and intellectual property. Its 170-store estate, which was not included in the purchase, was shut down in the spring.
M&Co’s website, which initially sold womenswear, will return on June 21 along with a new app. The particular locations and date of the re-openings have not yet been disclosed.
AK Retail CEO Andrew Killingsworth, said of the plans: “We are truly excited about this acquisition and the opportunity to restore the M&Co brand. M&Co has an incredible heritage and a loyal customer following, and our goal is to honour that legacy by providing an unparalleled shopping experience while preserving the brand’s identity.”
M&Co was established in 1834, changed its name to Mackays Stores in 1953, and then returned to that name in 2005. It initially entered administration in 2020, but its Scottish owners, the McGeoch family, later acquired it.
M&Co once again entered administration in December 2022 as a result of soaring operating expenses. In order to pursue a sale “in an accelerated timeframe,” the company hired administrators from the financial consultancy firm Teneo, who were assisted by AK Retail.
