By Grimsby’s House of Fraser set to remain for another month.
Grimsby’s House of Fraser of Freshney Place / Victoria Street was due to close this weekend. However, it has now been announced that it will remain open for another month.
It was expected that March 1st would be its last trading day.
This has now been delayed until April 1st.
House of Fraser has not given a reason, but it is believed that this is to allow more time for stock to be sold off. At present, only the ground and first floors remain open to the public as stock has already been so greatly reduced. House of Fraser have said that:
“The Group had been working closely with the landlord for some time on a solution to keep the store open. Over that time the landlord has not charged rent, but the day-to-day operating costs of the store have been considerable, not least the business rates, but keeping the store open was no longer viable.”
“We are thankful to the landlord for working with us over the past few months, to try to find a long-term solution for the store.”
“It has only been through the joint efforts of both Frasers Group and the landlord in question that the store has remained open for a long as it has.”
The department store had originally been due to close down in January 2019, but the chain was bought and saved in 2018. Frasers Group said that keeping the store open long-term was no longer a viable option. Several local residents have commented that they blame the town’s high commercial rents for the closure of increasing numbers of high street shops.
The closure will cost of more than 40 jobs. The extension to the closure date puts into question when the new store, 15-17, will open. 15-17 are expected to keep up to 25 of the existing staff.
Linsey McIlwraith, UK head of store operations for 15-17, has said that the company has plans to reinvigorate Grimsby’s high street:
“Across the UK, with the demise of the high street there is a need for businesses like 15-17 to come in to empty buildings with a significant amount of space.”
“Seeing department stores close is so sad, this has served the town for more than 100 years. 15-17 looks at store closures as an opportunity to reinvigorate the high street, bring in a transformation and a new shopping experience and sense of community, an element that has been lost over a period of time.”
“It isn’t just retail, it is live events, real community involvement and we’re already making contacts, we want to be something for everybody, a destination that will have a longer dwell time.”
While Grimsby’s House of Fraser is set to remain open for another month, Freshney Place’s Monsoon and Accessorise have also announced their closure on March 6th.
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