It said more people shopping online and higher costs to run stores had contributed to heavy financial losses. <\/p>\n
Reports have suggested it could collapse if its plans are not accepted by the High Court next month, although the firm said it was “confident” they will be.<\/p>\n
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Catherine Shuttleworth from Savvy Marketing said River Island’s challenges were “significant” but they were shared by the wider retail industry.<\/p>\n
She believed the fashion chain had been affected by several factors including having its stores in the wrong place and facing rising costs.<\/p>\n
“River Island has maintained an expensive portfolio of stores at a time when costs are rising and footfall is falling,” she told the BBC.<\/p>\n
“Many older stores find themselves in parts of town which may have been busy 20 years ago but now find themselves on the periphery.”<\/p>\n
Known for affordable and stylish fashion, brands such as River Island and Topshop dominated High Street fashion from the early 2000s to the mid 2010s.<\/p>\n
The first River Island store opened in 1988, after being originally founded in 1948 under the Lewis and Chelsea Girl brand before being renamed.<\/p>\n
The family-owned retailer currently has 230 shops, employs about 5,500 people and was one of the first big UK High Street names to launch online in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n
But recent years have proved tough. Ben Lewis, chief executive of River Island, said last month that a sharp rise in “the cost of doing business” over the past few years had “only added to the financial burden”.<\/p>\n
Intense competition in fashion retail, not only from the likes of Boohoo, but also from Chinese giants such as Shein and Temu, have also added to its challenges.<\/p>\n
Its most recent set of accounts revealed a \u00a333.2m loss, with sales down 19%.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nRihanna collaborated with River Island in 2013<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n
Creditors will start to vote on River Island’s restructuring plan on 1 August, and the High Court will decide whether to approve it on 7 August.<\/p>\n
If the plans are rejected, then it is understood the retailer will revise its strategy.<\/p>\n
River Island says the plan is a “proactive measure” to place it on “a firm footing”.<\/p>\n
“We have been having positive conversations with key stakeholders and are confident that we will achieve approval of the plan in the next few weeks,” a spokesperson for the retailer said.<\/p>\n
Nick Sherrard, managing director of Label Sessions, said River Island was in trouble now because of actions not taken years ago.<\/p>\n
“What’s very apparent here is that from landlords and suppliers, to investors, no one believes in River Island enough to do it some favours,” he told the BBC.<\/p>\n
Mr Sherrard also said River Island was missing the mark when it comes to keeping loyal customers.<\/p>\n
“Customers know it, but they don’t know why they should care about the brand,” he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n![](\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20250728-162205-9b8a2dcb37-web-2.26.0-8\/grey-placeholder.png\")
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