Leeds-headquartered fancy dress retailer R.H. Smith & Sons (Wigmakers) Limited, which trades as Smiffy’s, has been sold following its fall into administration.
Smiffy’s has been operating for over 100 years and has stores in Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Oxford. The financial performance of the company was significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic which saw a huge drop in demand for costume and party products.
Following the appointment of Jane Steer and Sarah O’Toole of PwC as joint administrators, a sale of the business and assets of the company has been completed to Ad Populum LLC.
The buyer owns several brands, such as NECA (an industry leader in pop culture action figures and collectibles), Wizkids (a producer of miniatures and award-winning tabletop games worldwide), Kidrobot (a premier creator of limited-edition art toys and lifestyle accessories), and Rubies II, LLC (a US costumes company).
Jane Steer, joint administrator and partner, PwC, said: “Smiffy’s is a popular brand that has been operating in one form or another since 1894, but sadly, like many other retailers, it was impacted by the after effects of the pandemic. The buyer, Ad Populum, will add Smiffy’s to its comprehensive range of brands which have extensive reach in the fancy dress and toy markets.”
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