A Wear

The brand A Wear first started out as 'Gaywear'. The first store opened in Limerick in 1966. The store expanded nationwide in 1973 when Galen Weston's retail empire invested in the company. In 1985, it was rebranded as A Wear. Up until 2007, the stores were owned by the Brown Thomas Group.

In May 2007, a consortium led by Alchemy Partners purchased the company for €70 million from the Brown Thomas Group.[1]

In late 2011, due to the continued economic downturn and high-retail rents in the Republic of Ireland, Alchemy Partners announced it was to go into receivership.

On 17 October 2011,[2] Hilco Groups's Hilco Capital Ireland Ltd purchased the company and its debt. On 15 February 2012, Hilco placed A Wear into receivership.

On 16 February 2012 it was confirmed that A Wear operations in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were purchased out of receivership.[3] An international consortium headed by Michael Flacks of Flacks Group bought the company and will continue to operate the 32 stores in Ireland with possible expansion.[4]

In 2013, A Wear re-entered the UK retail market after going into receivership in December 2011; it initially operated its clothing range from 10 House of Fraser stores in the UK only, with plans to open its own stand-alone stores in autumn-winter 2013.[5]

In October 2013, A Wear confirmed that its parent company had entered examinership.

On 28 November 2013, the company entered receivership.[6] By early December a number of stores in Dublin and Sligo were reopened. On the week beginning 9 December, the following stores reopened in Blanchardstown, Castlebar, Limerick (Crescent SC), Galway, Grafton Street, Dundrum, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, Sligo and Swords. All other stores remained closed. Its Cork flagship store on Patrick's Street, which was one of its biggest stores, its store in Mahon Point, and its online stores were not scheduled to reopen.

After failing to exit examinership successfully on Thursday 28 November 2013, all A Wear stores in the Republic of Ireland ceased operation after the appointment of Kavanagh Fennell[7] as receiver by Chelsey Investissement SA.[8] Its concession stores in the United Kingdom also ceased operations. 300 jobs were at risk. The appointed receiver noted that some stores would remain closed with the possibility of retaining more profitable stores, with the aim to sell these stores to a suitable buyer.[9] Its loss-making online store (awear.com) has also ceased trading at that time.

The remaining stores closed during the period from 24 December 2013 to 11 January 2014, when the final store shut its doors.

Previous fashion designers who have designed for A Wear include John Rocha, Quin and Donnelly, Marc O'Neill and Peter O'Brien. Prior to 2000, A Wear stores in Ireland also had a range of men's clothing.

• Official website