The company was placed on Monday “in compulsory liquidation with continuation of activity, the time to find a possible buyer for all or part of our activity”, specified Cyril Goulet, general manager of Desmazières, adding that the company has declared in suspension of payments last week. “The successive difficulties (closures due to Covid, significant increases in transport costs, energy, rents) and the decline in the purchasing power of our customers in a context of high inflation, have gradually weakened our cash flow for reach an impasse at the start of 2024,” explains Cyril Goulet. Desmazières, created in 1815 and which opened its first Chaussexpo store in 1987 in the North, has 750 employees and 177 stores, he specifies.
Two social plans in less than ten years
The company had already undergone two social plans in recent years, in 2017 (closure of 29 stores and departure of more than 80 employees) then in 2018, following legal receivership (35 stores closed, 124 job cuts).
Chaussexpo joins the long list of ready-to-wear brands shaken in recent months by the violent crisis in the sector, following among others Naf Naf, Gap France, André, San Marina. It was fatal for some of them, which were liquidated, like Camaïeu in September 2022.