Upmarket fashion chain Jaeger has filed notice to appoint administrators at the High Court putting the future of around 700 employees into question.

The 133-year-old retailer filed the notice on 5 April and informed employees at the firm’s 25 shops of the move on Thursday, a spokesperson for Jaeger confirmed.

Filing the notice does not mean that a formal administration process has started but it allows the company time to hold off creditors while any potential buyer develops plans for the struggling retailer’s future.

The news follows the sale of Jaeger’s debt to an undisclosed third party on 30th March.

Rumours have circulated in recent weeks that former head of Jaeger, Harold Tillman, is interested in buying back the retailer, with Edinburgh Woollen Mill is also understood to be making a bid.

Private equity firm Better Capital bought 90 per cent of Jaeger for £19.5m in 2012, with Mr Tillman maintaining a 10 per cent stake.

Founded in 1884 as Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System Co Ltd (named after Dr Gustav Jaeger, a zoologist who promoted the use of natural animal fibres in clothing), the brand was long at the forefront of fashion.

It earned a Royal Warrant in 1910 and in 1919, Jaeger launched the first camel hair coat, winning over the well-to-do ladies of London who flocked to its flagship Regent Street store.

However, in recent years the company has failed to adapt to the modern high street and in its quest for profits it has neglected its core middle-aged and discerning customers by turning to cheaper fabrics and offering heavy discounts.

Glen Tooke, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel, said: “London Fashion Week collections and more fashion-forward designs may appeal to younger shoppers, but with 45-54 year olds accounting for a fifth of spend, Jaeger’s tendency to overlook them has critically damaged its brand.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled – leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: “Europe’s largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid £3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rue’s contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped £4m off of Flybe’s revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airline’s estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

“Remarkably, discounting accounts for over three quarters of Jaeger sales. This constant stream of sales and offers has discouraged shoppers from paying full price and has lessened their trust in the quality of the Jaeger product – one of its fundamental selling points.”