Quiz enters administration for third time as Interpath appointed

Orion Retail Limited and Tarak International Limited, the operating companies behind the Quiz fashion chain, entered administration on 5 February 2026, marking the retailer’s third insolvency process in six years. Alistair McAlinden and Geoff Jacobs of Interpath were appointed as joint administrators.

The appointment follows a renewed period of financial distress for the womenswear brand, which operates approximately 40 standalone stores across the UK alongside a network of concessions. While stores remain open and are continuing to trade, the administrators have launched clearance sales as they assess strategic options for the business. Quiz’s online store has been closed.

Administrators confirmed that 109 redundancies will be made across the group’s Glasgow head office and its distribution centre in Bellshill, Scotland. The wider business employs roughly 565 staff across its retail footprint. Certain concession operations, including those located within third-party retailers, fall outside the scope of the administration.

The companies’ failure follows a difficult trading year that culminated in weaker-than-expected performance over the 2025 Christmas period. Like many mid-market apparel retailers, Quiz has faced sustained pressure from shifting consumer spending habits, rising employment and property costs, and intensified competition from ultra-fast-fashion online platforms.

Quiz was founded in 1993 and built its brand around occasionwear targeted at younger consumers. The company listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2017, raising more than £100 million, but has struggled to adapt to structural changes in the UK retail sector. Its first administration in 2020 was used to renegotiate store rents through a pre-pack transaction, followed by a second collapse in February 2025.

The 2025 administration resulted in the sale of the Quiz brand and a reduced store estate to Orion, a vehicle controlled by the founding family. That transaction preserved the core business but involved significant job losses and further store closures, leaving the group with a smaller, more concentrated retail presence.

The joint administrators have indicated that their immediate focus is on preserving value through continued trading while they explore potential outcomes for the business, including a sale or restructuring of the store portfolio.