House of Fraser has been given approval by creditors to close 31 stores, resulting in up to 6,000 job losses.
The department store chain will undertake the 31 store closures through a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), which will also allow it to secure rent reductions on its remaining shops.
Closures will affect up to 2,000 House of Fraser staff and a further 4,000 across brands and concessions.
House of Fraser secured the backing of more than 75% of creditors, including landlords, for the CVA at a meeting on Friday.
It was voted through despite anger among landlords, who have complained that they are being forced to stomach a financial hit at the same time as House of Fraser enjoys new investment.
Alongside the CVA, Hamleys owner C.banner is being lined up to buy a 51% stake in the firm and invest £70 million into what remains of the business.
At the meeting, furious landlords berated House of Fraser’s management and their advisers at KPMG over how the CVA was conducted.
They complained that their share of the vote had been structured unfairly in an attempt to push through the restructuring proposal.
House of Fraser stores identified for closure under the CVA proposals:
Altrincham, Aylesbury, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Camberley, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chichester, Cirencester, Cwmbran, Darlington, Doncaster, Edinburgh Frasers, Epsom, Grimsby, High Wycombe, Hull, Leamington Spa, Lincoln, London Oxford Street, London King William Street, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Shrewsbury, Skipton, Swindon, Telford, Wolverhampton, Worcester.
Despite their protestations, a representative for two of House of Fraser’s landlords said there had been “no give” from the top team.
House of Fraser boss Alex Williamson had warned that the store closures and job losses represented the “last viable” option to save the retailer, with the group at risk of collapse had the CVA been rejected.
Williamson and chairman Frank Slevin were both in attendance at the creditor vote.
House of Fraser said the shops earmarked for closure, including its Oxford Street store, would remain open until early 2019.
The group also plans to relocate its Baker Street head office and the Granite House office in Glasgow to help slash costs and “secure House of Fraser’s future”.
A raft of CVAs have been struck in recent months as retailers struggle amid surging costs, rising business rates, competition from online rivals and a slowdown in consumer spending.
Other retailers undertaking CVAs in a bid to keep trading include New Look, Mothercare and Carpetright.
Restaurant businesses have also been seeking to cut their costs with store closure programmes, with Carluccio’s, Byron and Prezzo all pushing through CVAs this year.