WE saw the loss of more high street big names yesterday in Oasis and Warehouse, which are to permanently close all their stores and online shopping with the loss of more than 1,800 jobs after administrators said they had been unable to secure a rescue deal for the fashion chains.

The two brands have been sold to the restructuring firm Hilco, the owner of the Homebase DIY chain, in a deal which includes their stock but not their 92 standalone stores or about 400 concessions across outlets including Debenhams, House of Fraser and Sainsbury’s.

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Sadly, the loss of big names on the high street was a regular occurrence prior to the coronavirus pandemic and, of course, the lockdown has only made things worse for struggling shops.

Rob Harding, of Deloitte, which was the administrator for Oasis and Warehouse, said: “Covid-19 has presented extraordinary challenges, which have devastated the retail industry. It is with great sadness that we have to announce a sale of the business has not been possible and that we are announcing so many redundancies today.”