Fired Earth has been in business for more than 30 years, but has now collapsed into administration
A luxury homeware shop has shut all 26 of its UK branches after falling into administration. The brand was compelled to make 133 of its staff redundant, with only its head office and warehouse in Banbury remaining open to fulfil existing orders.
Founded in 1983 and initially selling terracotta tiles from a farm in Oxfordshire, Fired Earth expanded into a leading design name on the British high street, even collaborating with Marks & Spencer on exclusive collections. The business, which specialised in premium tiles and interior design products, operated 26 showrooms across the UK and supplied an additional 22 independent stockists.
It also had two stores overseas in Denmark and Norway. Locations set to close include those in Harrogate, Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Cheltenham, Truro, Nottingham, Chester, Knutsford and Harrogate.
Administrators Alex Cadwallader and Dane O’Hara of Leonard Curtis, one of the UK’s largest corporate recovery firms, were appointed on October 31. Mr O’Hara stated: “Fired Earth has been loss-making for some time. In the last three years the company has been supported by its shareholders while efforts were made to return the business to profitability. “Unfortunately, the company has continued to incur trading losses, and its investor was not prepared to provide further funding.
” Despite generating £15 million in annual turnover, the interiors firm accumulated £1.6 million in losses during 2024 alone. Talks are ongoing over a potential sale of its assets. The sets have been sold to an undisclosed buyer. Meanwhile, administrators are maintaining the business in a limited capacity to fulfil existing customer orders. A notice displayed at the Harrogate branch informed customers: “Our showroom is currently closed and we’re unable to take any new orders at this time. ” Leonard Curtis insolvency practitioners Dane O’Hara and Neil Bennett assumed control of the business on 31 October as part of the administration process.
The closure of Fired Earth represents another setback for Britain’s struggling high streets, with several heritage homeware brands collapsing due to escalating costs and dwindling consumer confidence. A well-known home retailer is poised to close all its stores, resulting in the loss of over a hundred jobs and further contributing to the decline of UK high streets.
Interiors specialists Fired Earth has entered administration, cutting 133 jobs in the process and shutting all of its UK shops. Despite generating £15 million in revenue in 2024, the company still posted a loss of £1.6 million that year, mirroring the financial difficulties that beset the company in 2023.
Several parties have shown strong interest in purchasing the company’s assets, although no buyer for the business has emerged yet, according to the administrators. The Centre for Retail Research predicts that more than 17,000 shops will close, a significant increase from the 13,479 that shut in 2023.
The competition from rising online shopping, increased operational expenses and higher taxes have contributed to this trend.
Analysts suggest that the current climate has made it challenging for high street businesses to flourish. According to Macrotrends, Amazon’s gross annual profit in 2024 was $311.671 billion, marking a 15.4% increase from 2023.
The rise in National Insurance contributions for employers from 13.8% to 15% this April has added additional pressure on business owners hiring staff for their shops.
The following Fired Earth locations have closed:
- Blackheath
- Chiswick
- Dulwich
- Islington
- New Kings Road
- Northcote Road
- Bath
- Bristol
- Darts Farm, Exeter
- Cheltenham
- Truro
- Adderbury
- Beaconsfield
- Cobham
- Guildford
- Haslemere
- Hewitts Farm, Orpington
- Sherborne
- St Albans
- Winchester
- Cambridge
- Canterbury
- Chester
- Knutsford
- Harrogate
- Edinburgh