BRANCHES of affordable clothing chain Etam in Eastleigh and Southampton have been bought up by high street fashion rival Monsoon as part of a £43m deal.
News of the deal ends a period of uncertainty for staff at the branches, who all transfer across to the new business.
A spokesman for Monsoon, which bought 47 Etam shops just days after billionnaire Bhs boss Phillip Green snapped up the loss-making chain, said the firm was not releasing details of its plans for the branches.
Monsoon, which is represented by model Jodie Kidd, pictured, already has a Southampton branch in WestQuay shopping centre.
The future of Etam branches in Fareham and Cowes on the Isle of Wight, which are among 133 retained by Mr Green, remains uncertain.
The Portsmouth store was among 20 to sold Tom Hunter of West Coast Capital, whose stores trade under the fascia names Office, Qube and USC. The wider Etam group, which has more than 2,500 outlets across 30 countries including China, Finland, Bahrain, Lebanon and New Zealand, put its UK business up for sale in January after a prolonged sales slump continued over Christmas.
It is thought that Mr Green paid less than £10m for the Etam business.
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