Shop in York axed as chain goes online only

Menswear brand TM Lewin is closing all its stores – including the one on St Sampson’s Square in York.

Hundreds of jobs are set to go as the shirtmaker says it is switching sales online.

The chain, famous for its office clothes, runs 66 shops.

Investor SCP Private Equity bought TM Lewin in May from private equity owner Bain Capital.

According to reports earlier this month, the new owners warned landlords that most stores will shut down if rent cuts were not granted.

In a statement, Resolve, which has been hired to restructure the business, said: “This acquisition secured the future of the brand at a time of unprecedented uncertainty within the retail sector.

“After considerable review, and due to the many issues currently being experienced by high street retailers, it has been determined that the future of the TM Lewin brand will be online-only.”

Thomas Mayes Lewin opened the first TM Lewin store in Jermyn Street, London in 1898. 

Since then “we have also sold over 30 million of our iconic TM Lewin ‘original’ easy-to-iron shirts, which makes them Britain’s favourite shirts,” the website says.