Pimkie is in trouble. The brand is preparing to close part of its stores and lay off hundreds of employees.
Another blow for the French women’s ready-to-wear. After the court-ordered liquidations of Monochrome And San Marinathe placement in rjudicial address of the jeans brand Kaporalit’s the turn of Pimkie to face serious difficulties. The women’s ready-to-wear brand announced the closing of 64 stores out of the 302 it has in France, and the dismissal of 257 employees A economic social plan which was envisaged since the purchase of the brand at the beginning of 2023 by a consortium of investors specializing in the clothing sectorincluding companies Lee Cooper, Armoniss and Ibisler Tekstil. Upon the sale of Pimkie, which until then had belonged toAFM (the Mulliez family association), rumors of PSE are buzzing from all sides. In reality, the brand’s buyers confirmed to Pimkie union officials that there would indeed be a PSE, starting in November 2022. Since then, trade unionslike the CGT, very involved for the company’s employees, are active so that the starting conditions are the most advantageous possible.
Pimkie, a 50-year-old brand in difficulty
Founded in 1971 aimed at teenagers and young adults, the Pimkie brand is not in its first wave of departures. In 2018, 200 employees had left the company during a voluntary departure plan leading to the closure of 37 shops. Nine years earlier it was 190 employees who had been made redundant under a previous social plan. If at the time, already, Pimkie was facing difficulties, it is because the sign did not know how to adapt to thearrival of fast fashion in the French clothing market. Unlike Zara, Mango or H&M, the collections stamped Pimkie are not renewed every week and do not adapt to trends at the same speed as its competitors. Internationally, where Pimkie also has stores, the brand has chosen to withdraw from certain markets such as Belgium and Austriain 2021. However, the brand has tried to reinvent itself on multiple occasions: repositioning its collections to stick to its target, reorganizing stores, setting up corners dedicated to second-hand sales by the kilo… Measures that weren’t enough for Pimkie to stay afloat.