Claires Once Ruled The High Street With Its Butterfly Clips And Ear-piercing Gun – So What Went Wrong For The Temple Of Girlhood As It Goes Into Administration?

With its tattoo chokers, butterfly clips, and split heart pendant necklaces to share with your BFF, not to mention the free ear-piercing service, Claire’s was once retail heaven for teenagers.

But after years of decline since its noughties heyday, owner Modella Capital has announced the ‘very tough decision’ to put the retailer into administration following the closure of 145 stores and plunging sales.

Founded in Chicago in 1961, Claire’s reached the UK in the mid-90s, and quickly became known as the high street’s ‘temple of girlhood’ by luring tweens into spending their pocket money on its affordable jewels.

The free ear-piercing service, with the gun that will likely still send shivers down backs, was equally successful and soon became a rite of passage.

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Even Victoria Beckham took her son Brooklyn to have his ears pierced at Claire’s in London’s Westfield back in 2014, while Kim Kardashian stunned fans by popping into the Hawaii to get some studs put in.

Talking to the Daily Mail about the store’s glory days, PR and brand expert Chad Teixeira said: ‘Claire’s worked because it knew exactly who it was for and never overcomplicated it.

‘It gave young girls a first taste of independence, choosing something for themselves, trying on identity without risk.

‘The products were cheap, loud, and trend-led, which made them accessible and exciting.

‘The ear-piercing chair turned the brand into a rite of passage, not just a shop. Claire’s wasn’t about quality or longevity, it was about feeling grown up for the first time.’

Claire’s also boomed because it arrived in the UK at a time when shopping in town was a typical Saturday plan for most teenage girls, unlike today, when online shopping at fast-fashion brands like Temu and Shein reigns supreme.

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Teixeira added: ‘It also thrived because the high street used to matter. Shopping centres were social spaces, and Claire’s was impossible to miss. Bright stores, constant newness, and impulse pricing made it a guaranteed stop.

‘Parents said yes because it was affordable. Kids loved it because it felt like it belonged to them. At its best, Claire’s didn’t need marketing, it had footfall and visibility.’

Claire’s rule on the high street wasn’t without some scandal, though, and in 2017 the chain was forced to pull 17 of its makeup products after a glitter set tested positive for asbestos.

Two years later, the brand was back in headlines after a former employee revealed a company policy to forcibly pierce the ears of distressed children against their will if their parents insist on it.

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Raylene Marks, who worked at a Claire’s store in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for four months, quit in April 2019 after an incident involving a seven-year-old girl who made it clear she did not want a piercing.

The girl’s mother eventually left with her, but Raylene said she reached her ‘breaking point’ after a manager said that had the mother insisted and physically held her protesting daughter down in the chair, Raylene still would have had to pierce her.

Claire’s told the Daily Mail at the time that they were investigating the store where she worked.

A spokesman told the BBC it was reviewing the policy. They said: ‘Claire’s has been piercing ears for than 40 years, and has pierced over 100 million ears.

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‘Customer well-being is our main priority, and we ensure that any child piercing we do is carried out with the best care in consultation with, and with the agreement of the legal guardian,’ the representative wrote.

Ultimately, Claire’s failed to meet the changing demands of British customers, who now have fast fashion readily available at their fingertips.

Owner Modella Capital announced the ‘very sad’ news on Monday evening, admitting it had been ‘a very tough decision’.

A spokesman said: ‘Very sadly, we have had to initiate insolvency proceedings for The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) and Claire’s Accessories UK & Ireland.

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‘This has been a very tough decision. We have worked intensively in an effort to save both businesses, having made last-ditch attempts to rescue them, but neither has a realistic possibility of trading profitably again.

‘In these circumstances, administration is the only option. In both cases, the legacy effects of trading prior to our ownership left them highly vulnerable.

‘The climate on the high street remains extremely challenging, and TOFS and Claire’s are not alone in experiencing difficulties.

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‘This is borne out by recent Sensormatic statistics and other data sources suggesting an alarming drop-off in pre-Christmas footfall.

‘A combination of very weak consumer confidence, highly adverse government fiscal policies, and continued cost inflation is causing many established and much-loved businesses to suffer badly.

‘It’s a simple fact that if retailers can’t make money, they risk having to close – and jobs across the country are lost.’

Claire’s future had been insecure since its bosses filed for bankruptcy in August last year.

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Shoppers in Newcastle have spoken of their sadness over Claire’s facing closure.

Student Holly Howells, 18, of Newcastle, said: ‘Claire’s was my childhood. It’s where I went every Saturday.

‘It makes me really sad to think it might not be around for kids in the future. Where else will little girls go to get all their accessories?

‘I just think of the bright lights, the earrings and headbands. Everything was so pretty.

‘I was probably between six and ten when I went there the most. My mum and dad would take me and I’d spend my Christmas money there.

‘I can’t believe it might not be around for the next generation.’

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Her friend Lola Morrison, 17, also a student, of Newcastle, said: ‘Claire’s was the place to go when I was a child.

‘They had everything you could want as a little girl, it was like a palace for accessories.

‘And everything was so well priced, we could spend our pocket money there. It’s so sad it might not be a thing any .

‘I feel sorry for all the people who could lose their jobs too. I hope they find a way to make it work and keep them open.’

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Chloe McPherson, 18, was a keen Claire’s fan as a child. The shop worker said: ‘I shopped there all the time when I was little, in my pre-teen days.

‘I used to buy all the bows with the gemstones on, they were so pretty.

‘For little girls, Claire’s is part of growing up. It’s such a childhood memory for me going with my mum and begging her to buy stuff for me.

‘Sadly I just think it’s the way shops are going now though, it’s not how it used to be for the high street, so I’m not really surprised.’

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Office worker Emma Smith, 44, regularly took her daughter to Claire’s when she was younger, although she hasn’t shopped there for several years.

Emma, of Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, said: ‘My daughter got her ears pierced there which a lot of young girls did, it was a very popular place.

‘I’d say she shopped there until she was about 17 and then grew out of it, but until then she’d always want to spend her Christmas and birthday money there.

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‘Then she got a adult taste for jewellery, which was expensive too.

‘I think it’s the way shops are going now, I think bars and cafes are popular to have in towns and cities now.

‘People are happy to shop online. I did all my Christmas shopping online and didn’t come near a shop. Why would you when Amazon can deliver it the next day?’

Keris Newton-Brown, 26, a waitress from Wallsend, North Tyneside, said: ‘It’s a shame the shops might not last but really I think everything is going online now and that doesn’t bother me.

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‘Claire’s is really for kids and I think they’re spending their money on other stuff now or they want expensive things.

‘It had its place now but perhaps it’s just had its day.’