Laura Ashley is to close 40 stores, representing a quarter of its UK outlets, in a move that puts hundreds of jobs at risk.
The company’s new chairman, Andrew Khoo, who took on the role from his father last week, said the stores were closing amid a “challenging environment” in the UK that had hit sales of expensive products such as furniture.
Khoo told said that he wanted fewer but larger stores in the UK and was also keen to expand Laura Ashley’s presence in China.
