This is how much the troubled House of Fraser owes Irish firms like Newbridge Silverware
Almost 100 companies based here have been left out of pocket.
TROUBLED DEPARTMENT STORE chain House of Fraser owes thousands of euro to the Irish wings of big brands like Hugo Boss, Topshop and Benefit cosmetics, as well as several homegrown firms.
Figures published by the retailer’s administrator, EY, show that the UK company - which was recently acquired by Sports Direct, pending regulatory approval - owes almost £500 million to its creditors in the UK and Ireland.
Close to 100 Ireland-based companies are listed as creditors by EY. Some are only out of pocket a few cent, while others are owed hundreds of thousands of euro. It is not known how much of the debts will be paid under the new ownership agreement.
Of the Irish operations that are owed money, Google’s Dublin unit is by far the biggest creditor, with House of Fraser owing more than £1.2 million to the search engine and advertising behemoth.
Stockist Dune Shoes Ireland is owed in excess of €219,000, while upmarket footwear brand Kurt Geiger Ireland is due €181,670.
Menswear giant Hugo Boss Ireland is short €142,800 and the Irish wing of homewares brand Laura Ashley is down about €132,000.
Several homegrown companies are also out of pocket, including One4all owner Gift Voucher Shop (£33,320) and Newbridge Silverware(€54,000).
Sports Direct CEO Mike Ashley
Small brands
Smaller brands have also been left short, like Dublin-based jewellery maker Juvi, which is owed €20,500, and Max Benjamin candles, owed nearly €8,000.
Mayo-based Foxford Woollen Mills is owed €35,150; Fermanagh’s Belleek pottery outfit is due €82,000.
Sports Direct – which is majority owned by billionaire and Newcastle United proprietor Mike Ashley – spared House of Fraser from administration when it snapped up the retailer earlier this month.
Last week, House of Fraser that it would no longer accept gift cards at any of its stores and cancelled all of its outstanding online orders following a dispute with its warehouse operator about payment.
The 169-year-old firm, which operates a branch in Dundrum, currently employs about 17,500 staff. Some 6,000 jobs were previously on the chopping block in an overhaul that had been unveiled in June.
It’s not yet known how many – if any – House of Fraser branches Sports Direct will shutter. CEO Mike Ashley has said the group will “do our best to keep as many stores open as possible”.
Other noteworthy House of Fraser creditors include:
- Topshop Dundrum - €126,000
- Hilfiger Stores Ireland – €98,800
- Topman Ireland – €48,000
- Benefit cosmetics – £52,500
- Twitter Ireland – £15,560
- Matheson – £3,700
- Voya – €1,900
- Theya Healthcare – £1,600
- LinkedIn Ireland – £1,500
- Irish Water – £1,100
