Evans UK brand saved but now online only
UK plus-size clothing & footwear chain Evans was sold to Australian retailer City Chic Collective in December 2020 after going into administration.
Many women rely on Evans for wide shoes in large sizes. So it is great news that the brand has been saved.
But what does this mean for Evans fans? Here's all you need to know.
Are Evans stores closing down?
Unfortunately yes. The new owners have only bought the Evans brand and website. City Chic Collective will operate Evans as an online only retailer. All remaining Evans stores and concessions are to close early in 2021.
This is sad news for women in the UK & Ireland with larger shoe sizes, especially those with wider feet. Evans was the only high street chain where you could just walk in & easily try & buy size 10/11 UK shoes.
Can I still buy online from Evans?
Yes. A brand new Evans website launched in March 2021. However Evans are only delivering to the UK, Jersey and Guernsey since the City Chic takeover. International deliveries, including orders to Ireland, are currently suspended.
Hopefully this is just a temporary measure as part of the changeover to the new owners.
Who are City Chic Collective?
Founded in 1999, City Chic Collective are a successful Australian plus-size retailer. As well as selling online, the brand is sold in over 200 locations worldwide including over 90 of their own stores across Australia and New Zealand. They have already expanded into the US & buying Evans gives them prime access to the UK market.
As well as their main City Chic brand, their plus-size brand portfolio includes Avenue (USA), Fox & Royal and Hips & Curves (USA) lingerie and CCX casual wear.
Evans had actually already been selling some City Chic clothing online for 5 years and they look to be a great fit to take over the Evans brand.
Will Evans footwear still be the same?
The Evans brand is here to stay but will be online only. City Chic have previously acquired US brands which still operate as standalone websites with some items also available through City Chic.
The current City Chic footwear collection looks like an improved version of Evans. There's a wide variety of on-trend styles at affordable prices. City Chic US & Canada currently has lots of fashionable boots, while City Chic Australia is focused on summer shoes. Styles are available up to size 44 European (14 US), which suggests UK size 10/11 approx.
City Chic now owns US plus-size brand Avenue too. Avenue have their own footwear range available up to size 13 US (11 UK approx) in medium, wide and extra wide widths. This includes their Cloudwalkers wide-width shoes featuring cushioned insoles designed to make you feel like you are walking on air.
So hopefully some of these footwear brands will become available from Evans in due course, along with new fashion forward styles under the Evans brand.
Are there any other UK stores selling wide footwear in large sizes?
It's a big relief for Evans fans that the brand will be around long term. But it's a real shame that another brand has left the high street to move to online only.
I've made a list of alternative shoe shops to Evans. It includes a few physical stores if you wear size 9 UK wide shoes and prefer to shop in person. There are also several online store suggestions for wide shoes up to size 11 UK.
Check out the UK wide shoes and wide shoe stores shipping worldwide directory listings for more options. You can filter those listing links by your shoe size too.
In these uncertain times the more shoe shopping options the better. But hopefully Evans will thrive under new ownership & fly the flag for fashionable wide footwear for all.