Australian fashion retailer Mosaic Brands will bring the axe down on five of its businesses and close more than 200 stores to simplify operations and reduce costs.

All stores and websites for Rockmans, Autograph, W.Lane, Crossroads and BeMe are considered “marginal and non-core” and will be wound down.

Rockmans, Autograph and W.Lane have a combined 231 stores, according to Mosaic’s 2023 annual report. BeMe Brands and Crossroads are pure-play digital brands.

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today

Mosaic chief executive Erica Berchtold said the move to “rationalise its brand portfolio” will simplify the business and allow it to focus on “five core growth brands” – Millers, Noni B, Rivers, Katies and its standalone online Mosaic marketplace.

Berchtold said each will have a “clearly differentiated market proposition, target customer, price point and product range”.

“Whilst the operational details of the rationalisation plan, including store closures, continue to be worked through, we will seek to minimise the impact on our team, including where possible reassigning impacted team members into roles within the five core brands,” Berchtold said.

“Our Focus on Core is a growth-driven strategy to retain existing customers and attract new ones. Central to this strategy, Mosaic will continue to focus on servicing regional Australia.”

Mosaic said more insight into its operational restructure will be shared in the coming weeks.

The closures come ahead of the release of the company’s earnings results for the 2023-24 financial year.

Mosaic said a delay in publishing it was due to events after the reporting period that “will impact the disclosures accompanying the audited results”.

Its shares have been suspended from trading on the ASX, but it expects that will be lifted once it lodges its annual financial report.

In March the retailer was hit with a Federal Court lawsuit, with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleging hundreds of delayed deliveries to customers.

Mosaic’s store closures follow the well-known struggles of other Australian fashion and retail identities.

Sass & Bide announced recently it was shutting 10 stores across the country as part of its effort to reposition for growth, and it was announced in August that the Australian arm of Dion Lee would be liquidated.