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Australian fashion label Sass & Bide to close most of its stores

Australian fashion label Sass & Bide to close most of its stores

Australian fashion label Sass & Bide will close 10 stores across Australia and New Zealand as the company shifts its focus to online retailing.

Four stores will remain open, including two stores in Queensland, one in Victoria and one in Western Australia.

The other 10, located in Bondi, Miranda, Canberra, Chadstone, Doncaster, Emporium, Rundle Street, Newmarket (NZ), Karrinyup and Paddington will close on October 6.

Australian fashion label Sass & Bide will close ten stores across Australia and New Zealand, as the company shifts its focus to online retailing. (AFR Dominic Lorrimer)

Paula Mackenzie, managing director of the brand and two others, said the closures come amid weaker sales, according to the Australian Financial Review.

“We have been reviewing the store footprint for Sass & Bide to ensure it is aligned with our popular in-store concessions and growing online business, meeting the needs of our loyal customers and operating sustainably,” she said.

“In response to this review we are intending to expand our successful Sass & Bide concession model and have made the difficult decision to close 10 of our standalone Sass & Bide stores on October 6.”

Four stores will remain open, including two stores in Queensland, one in Victoria and one in Western Australia. (Fairfax Media)

The brand will still be available in Myer department stores.

Sass & Bide was founded in 1999 by Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton.

Myer paid $42.3 million to buy a majority stake in the company in 2011, before purchasing the remainder, according to the Australian Financial Review.