A fashion retailer is making its comeback to the High Street after shutting all its shops several years ago.
The brand, Evans, was a fixture of British womenswear for nearly a century and at its peak had hundreds of outlets dotted across the UK. It disappeared shortly after the pandemic struck, but is now staging a return to branches nationwide.
Founded in 1930, Evans earned its reputation for producing high-quality, women’s fashion for sizes above 14.
The plus-size retailer was forced to close all its physical outlets and concessions and halt trading in December 2020, after its parent company, Arcadia Group, collapsed into administration.
Evans transformed into an online-only operation and was purchased by AK Retail in 2023.
View 3 ImagesEvans was known for its womenswear brands in Britain for almost 100 years and once had hundreds of stores located throughout the UK (stock image)(Image: Getty Images)
The company also owns Yours Clothing and MandCo, and bosses have approved Evans as an additional concession within Yours Clothing branches.
The brand has more than 100 sites across the UK, and Evans will feature in 35 of these, including:
- Belfast
- Bexleyheath
- Bluewater
- Bognor Regis
- Bradford
- Braehead, Renfrew
- Bromley
- Cramlington
- East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire
- Hempstead Valley
- Hull
- Lakeside
- Leeds
- Lincoln
- Liverpool
- Manchester
- Meadowhall
- Merry Hill
- Metro Centre
- Milton Keynes
- Newry
- Nottingham
- Peterborough
- Plymouth
- Romford
- Skegness
- Southend of Sea
- Stirling
- Stockport
- Swansea
- Telford Uxbridge
- Wakefield
- Westwood Cross
- Yate
In Scotland, the Evans brand will appear at The Plaza in East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire, Braehead Shopping Centre near Glasgow and The Thistles Shopping Centre in Stirling.
Evans will sit alongside Yours Clothing’s own collection, which also serves a plus-size clientele.
Yours Clothing told Fashion Network: “Plus-size women are among the most loyal fashion shoppers in the UK.
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View 3 ImagesLady shoppers queue outside the opening sale of Evans the Outsize Shop in Southwark (file image)(Image: Getty Images)
“When a brand gets it right – when the fit works, the range is genuine, and the product reflects real women, they come back.
“Evans earned that loyalty over decades. And when the brand reduced its high street presence, its customers did not stop looking.”