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Gloucestershire Business News

“Hot” fashion retail brand closes Gloucester Quays store

A third fashion brand has announced its days at Gloucester Quays have come to an end, closing its store with immediate effect.

First it went into administration putting a question mark over its 80 stores and then it was rescued from administration, but it appears there will be no happy ending for staff at the city's Bench store.

The clothing brand founded by one of the architects of the Superdry clothing label, filed for administration back in May, but was then 'rescued' by US giant Gordon Brothers.

Ramez Toubassy, Gordon Brothers' brands division president, said: "Streetwear has never been hotter than it is today" saying the plan was to re-establish Bench "as a streetwear powerhouse".

But it seems that does not include rescuing the stores.

The result being that shortly after Bench staff had opened the Quays store yesterday other representatives from the business appeared to close it down leaving staff shell-shocked.

Its closures comes shortly after both Cotton Traders and Klass announced their departure from the Gloucester retail centre.

James Holder, the brand and design director at and one of the founding fathers of Gloucestershire-headquartered Superdry, is credited with starting the rival Bench label - but he long ago signed away his shares in the business.

It was that early experience - which began selling T-shirts out of the back of his mother's car at BMX events - that eventually led him to his partnership with fellow Superdry founder Julian Dunkerton.

It is estimated Bench had 176 UK staff and 170 more in Germany.

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