Topshop owner Arcadia leaves gift card holders 50% short

Kevin Peachey - Personal finance correspondent
·3 min read
Arcadia gift cards
Arcadia gift cards

Shoppers at Topshop and other Arcadia brands will only be able to use gift cards for half of their order, the embattled company has said.

Arcadia collapsed into administration on Monday and shoppers have been unable to use gift cards online since.

The company said the card shutdown was a temporary technical issue to be resolved within days.

But it said that, once resolved, the cards would only be valid for 50% of a purchase.

That means, for example, only £25 in card value could be redeemed on a £50 order, or someone wanting to use the whole of their £10 gift card would need to spend £20 in total.

Administrators for the business are not obliged to accept gift cards but, with stores and websites still trading, many shoppers hoped and expected that they would still be able to use them.

The company told shoppers: "Gift cards have been temporarily switched off until further notice. I can confirm you are still able to use gift cards in store, you will only be able to apply 50% of the gift card to your purchase.

"Apologies for the inconvenience that has been caused."

The Arcadia group runs 444 stores in the UK and 22 overseas, and includes the Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, and Burton brands.

The administration will give Arcadia breathing space from creditors, such as landlords for its shops or clothing suppliers, while a buyer is sought for all or parts of the company.

Arcadia executives will still hold day-to-day control over the business.

However, the jobs of the company's 13,000 employees are at risk.

Debenhams, which said on Tuesday that it expected to close its doors after the failure to find a buyer for the business, said it was still accepting gift cards, but was not selling any new ones.

Earlier this week, Currys PC World apologised after a website glitch wiped hundreds of pounds off gift cards and left Black Friday bargain hunters without their shopping.

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