The shoe retailer, Jones Bootmaker is close to closure after a deal set-up with a private equity firm collapsed. The company currently employs 1,145 people and has over 1,000 stores, putting many of these jobs at risk. Rival shoe retailer Brantano also fell into administration recently, meaning the roughly 1,000 jobs in the sector are now at risk. Some of the pressure on these retailers has been clothing high-street retailers such as New Look and H&M expanding into the footwear market and cutting in on some of the market share.