The future of fast-fashion handbag and jewellery chain Colette by Colette Hayman looked bleak when it collapsed in February 2020, the latest victim of a retail “killing season” that had claimed half a dozen national retail chains.

Attempts by administrators at Deloitte to salvage the business were hampered by the pandemic, which forced Colette to shut most of its stores during the national lockdown and crimped demand for accessories as consumers spent more time at home.