The parent company of fashion chains McGregor, Gaastra and Adam Menswear was declared bankrupt on Thursday, just days after requesting court protection from creditors.

The Doniger Fashion Group was formed last year when the McGregor group first collapsed. Doniger has 75 shops, of which 53 are in the Netherlands, and a workforce of some 600 – making it half the size of the first McGregor when it went bust in 2016.

‘We have really, really tried to keep the company afloat but we didn’t make it,’ director Joep van Straaten said on Monday. ‘We believe in our strong brands and will do all we can to create a new future for the company.’