Of the seven Esprit shops in Luxembourg, two are closing. The others, franchises located in various shopping centres in the country, are still open. Photo: Guy Wolff/Maison Moderne

Of the seven Esprit shops in Luxembourg, two are closing. The others, franchises located in various shopping centres in the country, are still open.  Photo: Guy Wolff/Maison Moderne

Last May, the clothing brand Esprit filed for bankruptcy for its European activities. The group based in Germany did not provide further information on the sorting of Luxembourg stores, several of which have been closed for at least two weeks. On Friday, August 9, the brand announced that it had sold its rights to investment firm Alteri.

This article was updated after the Commercial Union of the City of Luxembourg informed us of the closure of the boutique located in Belle Etoile, since July 31, and the closure of the one in Weiswampach was confirmed.

For at least two weeks since four Esprit stores in the country have closed their doors. Through the window of the store located on Avenue de la Gare, only a few racks of clothes remain. No sign on the front, but a message saying “temporarily closed” on Google. On the phone, a voicemail indicates that the brand “is no longer able to record new orders” and refers to its website, and to its website. On the latter, the online store is no longer available. According to a former employee of Esprit in Luxembourg, the two stores risk not reopening. The Commercial Union of the City of Luxembourg also informs that the store located in Belle Etoile has been closed since July 31.

The other outlets at Belval Plaza (Esch), Topaze Shopping Center (Mersch), Knauf Shoppong Center (Pommerloch) and Wemperhardt are still open. What they all have in common is that they are franchises.

When the Esprit Europe GmbH group filed for bankruptcy in May, it stated that it was "too early to measure the impact of this filing on Luxembourg shops". The commercial register indicates that the sole manager of Esprit Luxembourg is Esprit Europe BV, registered in Amsterdam. Contacted on 31 July and again on Friday 9 August, the two companies did not respond to our requests for comment. Esprit Europe BV filed for insolvency before being .

No resumption of operational activities

On Friday, Esprit Europe announced that it had sold the rights to the brand to British investment company Alteri, which owns fashion company CBR Fashion and the Street One and Cecil brands. The purchase price was not specified. He did say, however, that the brand will continue to exist "for the foreseeable future" and that the products will continue to be manufactured in Germany.

In Germany, 56 shops will close by the end of the year. This will affect 1,300 employees. According to the German press agency DPA, the British investor will not be taking over Esprit's operational activities or its employees.

In Belgium, the company's court had already declared Esprit Belgium Retail bankrupt in April. Fifteen shops were closed, but ten franchises remained open. Franchises, including those in Luxembourg, remain in limbo.

Read the French language version of this report

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