Select

Retailer / private label

Select is a British fashion retail chain selling affordable women's, men's and children's clothing, accessories and footwear.

Last updated October 20, 2026

AI crawler reads

No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.

Overview

Select, also known as Select Fashion, is a British fashion retail chain focused on affordable apparel and related products. The business developed as a value-oriented retailer and built a nationwide store estate of more than 105 locations, serving primarily younger and value-conscious customers. Its principal audience has been adults aged approximately 18 to 45, with a strong emphasis on women's fashion, while the range has also included men's and children's clothing, accessories and footwear. The chain dates from the early 1980s, although the available reference material does not identify a precise founding year or founder. During the 2000s, Select attempted to broaden its market image. In 2004, it formulated a strategy to move beyond its reputation as solely a value-focused women's retailer and to present itself as a more trend-led fashion brand. This reflected the competitive pressures facing British high-street fashion, where retailers increasingly combined low prices with rapidly changing, style-conscious collections. Select experienced significant financial difficulty during its development. It entered administration for the first time in 2008 and subsequently underwent a buyout. A second administration followed in 2019 after renewed financial problems, again leading to a subsequent buyout. The available material identifies Turkish entrepreneur Cafer Mahiroğlu as the owner, but does not provide a complete corporate history of the entities involved in either transaction or establish the precise current ownership structure. In 2020, Select moved its head office from Kentish Town to Edmonton. The relocation was associated with plans to expand its distribution centre and continue developing its website, suggesting an effort to strengthen logistics and digital retail capabilities alongside the physical-store network. The chain's business model therefore combined high-street stores with an online presence, with distribution infrastructure forming an important part of its post-administration development. Select was also mentioned in reporting about garment factories in Leicester in October 2020. Several factories that had supplied retailers including Select and Boohoo were reported to be implicated in alleged money-laundering and VAT-fraud activity. The available reference material states that there was no indication Select knew about the alleged fraudulent conduct in its supply chain. This episode is therefore a supply-chain reporting matter rather than evidence that Select itself was accused of those offences. The available sources provide limited information about later trading performance, leadership, product names or current store numbers. Select is best characterized as a British value and trend-oriented fashion retailer whose history has been shaped by high-street expansion, repositioning efforts, repeated restructuring and attempts to modernize its distribution and e-commerce operations.

History

Select Fashion emerged in the United Kingdom in the early 1980s as a value-oriented fashion retailer. Its original identity was associated particularly with affordable women's clothing, although the business later offered a broader assortment encompassing men's and children's apparel, accessories and footwear. The chain expanded through a nationwide high-street store network that eventually exceeded 105 locations. Its principal customer group was adults between approximately 18 and 45, supplemented by families shopping for children's products. By 2004, Select was seeking to change how the market perceived it. Management formulated a plan to move the chain away from an image based solely on low-priced women's fashion and toward a more trend-setting proposition. The strategy reflected a wider shift in mass-market fashion retail, in which value retailers attempted to combine low prices with faster-moving collections and stronger fashion credentials. The company entered administration for the first time in 2008. It subsequently underwent a buyout, allowing the retail operation to continue, but the episode established a pattern of financial and ownership restructuring that would recur later. The available sources do not identify the precise legal entities involved in the administration or buyout, nor do they state a definitive founding year or founder. Select encountered another period of financial difficulty in 2019 and entered administration again. A further buyout followed. The chain was associated with Turkish entrepreneur Cafer Mahiroğlu, who is identified as its owner in the available reference material. The sources do not provide a detailed account of the post-2019 corporate structure, financing, store closures or the terms of the transaction. In 2020, Select moved its head office from Kentish Town to Edmonton. The relocation supported plans to expand the retailer's distribution centre and develop its website. This represented an operational and digital-development initiative, with the company seeking to improve the infrastructure behind both its store estate and online activities. Later in 2020, Select was mentioned in connection with reporting about garment manufacturing in Leicester. A group of factories that had previously supplied retailers including Select and Boohoo were reported to have been implicated in alleged money laundering and VAT fraud. The available account does not indicate that Select was aware of the alleged fraudulent conduct. The event is consequently relevant to the brand's supply-chain context, but it should not be presented as a finding that Select itself committed or knowingly participated in those offences. The available material ends with limited information about Select's subsequent operations. It confirms the retailer's British identity, its affordable fashion assortment, its historical store scale, repeated administration proceedings, ownership by Cafer Mahiroğlu and its 2020 infrastructure plans. It does not establish the current number of stores, present ownership beyond the cited owner, current executives, later financial performance or whether the chain remains active in the same form.

2020
Head-office relocation and infrastructure plans
[1]Select (fashion chain)en.wikipedia.org
Select moves its head office from Kentish Town to Edmonton while planning distribution-centre expansion and website development.
2019
Second administration and buyout
[1]Select (fashion chain)en.wikipedia.org
Renewed financial difficulties lead to another administration, followed by a subsequent buyout.
2008
First administration
[1]Select (fashion chain)en.wikipedia.org
Select enters administration for the first time and later undergoes a buyout.
2004
Brand repositioning plan
[1]Select (fashion chain)en.wikipedia.org
Select develops a plan to move from a narrowly value-focused women's retail image toward a more trend-setting fashion proposition.
1980
Select is established in the early 1980s
[1]Select (fashion chain)en.wikipedia.org
The fashion retailer begins operating in the United Kingdom. The available source gives only the early 1980s and does not specify an exact year.

Products and positioning

Affordable, accessible high-street fashion with a value-oriented proposition and an effort to offer more trend-led styles.

Apparel
Women's clothing
Women's apparel was historically central to Select's identity and remains the clearest expression of its value-oriented high-street proposition. The range was aimed largely at younger and working-age shoppers, with the company later seeking to make its women's assortment appear more current and trend-led rather than purely budget-focused. The available source does not identify individual garment lines or named collections.
Apparel
Men's clothing
Select broadened beyond its traditional women's focus to include men's clothing. This category formed part of the chain's wider fashion assortment and supported its positioning as a general high-street apparel retailer. Specific product subcategories, ranges and launch dates are not identified in the available material.
Apparel
Children's clothing
Children's clothing extended Select's offer toward family shopping and complemented its adult apparel business. The source confirms the presence of children's products but does not describe age bands, collections, pricing architecture or whether the range remains available.
Fashion accessories
Accessories
Fashion accessories were sold alongside Select's clothing ranges, providing complementary items within the retailer's affordable, high-street assortment. No detailed list of accessory types or branded sub-lines is provided by the available reference.
Footwear
Footwear
Footwear formed another component of Select's broader fashion offer. It was presented as part of the same accessible retail proposition as the clothing and accessories categories. The available material does not specify footwear styles, suppliers or named product ranges.

Controversies

2022
Curaleaf settles 10 lawsuits over THC-contaminated CBD drops
Curaleaf settled 10 lawsuits stemming from a mix-up in which an employee unintentionally added THC-containing raw material to a batch of its Select-branded CBD tincture. Three additional cases were headed to trial, according to the attorney representing the claimants.
Source
2020
Leicester supplier-factory allegations
Factories in Leicester that had supplied Select and other retailers were reported to be implicated in alleged money laundering and VAT fraud. The available reference states that there was no indication Select knew about the alleged fraudulent activity.
Source
2020
Class-action lawsuit over mislabeled Select vape cartridges
A Portland couple filed a class-action lawsuit demanding that Cura Cannabis relinquish profits from products they allege were mislabeled. The suit concerns Select vape cartridges that claimed to contain only cannabis oil but included botanical terpenes.
Source

2020
Distribution and website developmentStrategy
Background
Following renewed financial restructuring, Select sought to strengthen its operating infrastructure and digital presence.
Action taken
The company moved its head office from Kentish Town to Edmonton, with plans to expand its distribution centre and develop its website.
Aftermath
The available source does not report the subsequent operational or commercial results of the relocation.
Source
2004
Shift toward a more trend-led brandStrategy
Background
Select was perceived primarily as a value-oriented women's retailer and sought to compete more directly on fashion relevance.
Action taken
The company formulated a plan to reposition its image as a more trend-setting fashion brand.
Aftermath
The source records the strategic intention but does not provide measurable results or detailed implementation data.
Source

Recent events

2020
Select moves its head office to Edmonton[1]Select (fashion chain)en.wikipedia.org
Other
Select relocated its head office from Kentish Town to Edmonton as part of plans to expand its distribution centre and develop its website.
2019
Select Fashion enters administration amid renewed financial difficulties[1]Select (fashion chain)en.wikipedia.org
Bankruptcy
The chain encountered financial problems, entered administration again and subsequently underwent another buyout.
2008
Select Fashion enters administration[1]Select (fashion chain)en.wikipedia.org
Bankruptcy
Select Fashion entered administration for the first time and later underwent a buyout.
2004
Select develops a plan to reposition its brand[1]Select (fashion chain)en.wikipedia.org
Other
The retailer planned to move beyond its image as a value-focused women's chain and become more trend-oriented.

Sources9 sources

Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/select · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled