A SHOESHOP chain with a branch at Malvern's Retail Park has gone into administration,.

Tony Barrell and Mike Jervis of financial giant PwC have this week been appointed as joint administrators for Brantano, which employs 14 people at Malvern.

They say that the chain's branches will remain open, but that redundancies are inevitable.

Brantano was acquired by a company controlled by Alteri Investors in February 2016 but has experienced difficult trading conditions, despite efforts to make the business more commercially viable.

A sale of the company was explored and whilst it generated interest, it was not possible to achieve. This has resulted in the company being placed into administration.

Tony Barrell, lead administrator at PwC, said: “Despite significant improvements in the business and reductions in the cost base, trading has continued to suffer in a depressed and competitive footwear market. Like many other retailers, Brantano has also been hit hard by the sharp decline in sterling, the ongoing shift in consumer shopping habits and the evolution of the UK retail environment.

“The administrators are continuing to trade the business as normal whilst assessing the trading strategy and any interest in parts of the business over the coming days and weeks. However, regrettably, it is inevitable that there will be redundancies. Staff will be paid their arrears of wages and salaries, and will continue to be paid for their work while the business is in administration.”

The company, based in Leicestershire, has 73 stores and 64 concessions across the UK and employs 1,086 staff.