Fired Earth’s collapse marks another blow to Britain’s home interiors sector

Fired Earth, the upmarket tiling and interiors retailer, has gone into administration with the loss of 133 jobs and the closure of all its UK stores. The Fired Earth collapse highlights the strain on British homeware and renovation businesses as consumer spending slows.

Joint administrators Dane O’Hara and Neil Bennett of Leonard Curtis were appointed on 31 October. They confirmed that only the head office and warehouse in Banbury will continue trading so existing customer orders can be fulfilled.

The company, founded in 1983 and best known for premium tiles, paints and bespoke interiors, ran 20 showrooms across the UK and supplied a further 22 independent stockists. It also operated two overseas outlets in Denmark and Norway.

“There has been financial support from the shareholder over a number of years while efforts were made to return the business to profitability,” Mr O’Hara said. “Unfortunately the company continued to incur trading losses and further investment was not possible without a viable turnaround plan.”

Turnover was around £15 million, but the business recorded a loss of £1.6 million in 2024, mirroring the previous year’s performance. Rising costs, weaker demand for high-end home improvements and competition from online retailers all eroded margins.

Some of the affected sites include Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Cheltenham, Truro, Nottingham, Chester, Knutsford and Harrogate. Administrators said there had already been interest in an asset-only acquisition, which suggests parts of the brand or stock could be salvaged.

The luxury interiors sector has been more exposed to the housing market slowdown than mass-market chains. Industry figures show more retailers entering insolvency this year, a trend also tracked by the UK’s official insolvency service, which publishes regular data on business failures in retail and construction. You can view the latest figures on the official insolvency pages for further context.

The contrast with HMV’s recent return to the high street will not be lost on the sector. After its own administration in 2019, the music chain was bought by Canada’s Sunrise Records, reopened on Oxford Street in 2023 and is now opening further stores in Solihull, Canterbury and Belfast, with more planned. Fired Earth has been unable to engineer a similar turnaround.

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