If you've ever wondered why your local Glue Store has been looking a little sparse lately, you're not alone. The decades-old fashion retailer is closing its doors for good, with parent company Accent Group confirming all remaining 16 Australian stores will shut by the end of the 2026 financial year.
The news came via an ASX announcement on Wednesday, with Accent Group stating it had "made the decision to cease the operations of Glue Store" and that "the business will be wound down or sold." Closing down sales are already being advertised online and in stores around the country, according to 7News.
Accent Group, which also operates Dr. Martens, The Athlete's Foot, and Platypus stores, acquired Glue Store back in 2021. The group had already been trimming the brand's footprint significantly, axing 17 stores in 2024 alone, which roughly halved the number of locations across Australia. At the time, Accent Group said the remaining stores were "expected to be profitable." That optimism did not hold.
Glue Store recorded an EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes) loss of $8.4 million in the first half of the 2026 financial year, a figure that includes provisions set aside for the closure process. For a brand that once anchored the mid-market streetwear and youth fashion space in shopping centres across the country, it is a sobering result.
The short version: Glue Store joins a growing list of bricks-and-mortar fashion retailers that have struggled to stay relevant as shoppers increasingly turn to online platforms, fast fashion giants, and international e-commerce sites. Brands like ASOS, Shein, and local online players have shifted how younger consumers shop, and physical retail has had to work harder than ever to justify the rent.
Accent Group, for its part, is not retreating from retail altogether. The group currently operates 898 stores across its portfolio of brands and opened 27 new locations in the past six months alone. The strategy appears to be consolidation around stronger performers rather than any broad withdrawal from physical retail, which is a reasonable response to the data.
If you have gift cards or store credit, here's what you need to know: use them sooner rather than later. When a retailer enters a wind-down process, gift card redemption can become complicated depending on how the closure is structured. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has guidance on your rights with gift cards during retail closures, and it is worth checking before the shelves empty out.
For shoppers, the closing down sales are worth a look if Glue Store carried brands you regularly bought. Discounts during wind-down sales can be genuine, though stock will be patchy as the weeks progress. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law still apply during closing sales, including on faulty items, regardless of what the signage says about no returns.
The closure is a reminder that mid-market retail in Australia is in a period of genuine structural change. It is not simply a story of one brand failing; it reflects broader shifts in how Australians spend on clothing, how much they value the in-store experience, and what role physical retail can realistically play alongside digital alternatives. Accent Group's decision to back its stronger brands and cut loose a struggling one is, at its core, sensible commercial management. The harder question, for the workers affected and the shopping centres left with empty tenancies, is what comes next.