Fenwick closes one of 11 branches claiming it 'cannot compete with online shopping'

It has constructed up a grand popularity since its first retailer opened in 1882, with 1000's of shoppers having fun with the standard old style purchasing expertise.

However the division retailer Fenwick shall be closing considered one of its main shops in Leicester after 55 years of buying and selling within the metropolis as a result of it can't compete with on-line purchasing.

The shop's 97 full-time workers got the heartbreaking information at a gathering at 9am at the moment and shall be made redundant when it closes its doorways in just a few months' time.

Saying goodbye: The division retailer Fenwick shall be closing a serious outlet in Leicester (pictured) after 55 years of buying and selling within the metropolis as a result of it can't compete with on-line purchasing

The shop was opened in 1962 and took up virtually half of Market Road close to the pedestrianised metropolis centre, but it surely has struggled in opposition to on-line competitors.

The chain stated it has additionally suffered for the reason that metropolis's as soon as thriving footfall diverted to out-of-town purchasing centres that are served by fashionable automobile parks.

Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby stated he was unhappy to see the demise of Fenwick.

He stated: 'Fenwick has been considerably left behind by modifications in retailing in Leicester in recent times. I'm certain they've fell the chilliness wind of getting John Lewis on the town.'

And Abi Jarrom, who manages a hospice store known as Loros only some doorways down from Fenwick, informed the Leicester Mercury: 'It is a huge blow. 

'I'm actually shocked and saddened as a result of it's so iconic to Leicester. It is going to be an enormous loss - wow. There is a huge void to fill. I hate seeing empty models.'

Closure: Group chairman Mark Fenwick, pictured at a launch occasion in June 2015 at his retailer on New Bond Road in Central London, stated it had been a 'very tough resolution' for the corporate

'There was a girl in right here the opposite day, who would not dwell right here now, who says she likes to coming again to Leicester and coming to Fenwick.' 

135 years of Fenwick 

Fenwick was based in 1882 when younger store assistant John James Fenwick opened his first retailer in a former physician's home in Newcastle.

'JJ' employed two assistants to assist him promote mantles, silk items, clothes, materials and trimmings.

Gross sales had been good, so he purchased a much bigger web site down the identical road eight years later, which is the place the flagship retailer continues to be situated at the moment.

The Fenwick household purchased their New Bond Road web site in Central London in 1891 and made it a specialist retailer in unique tailoring for women.

JJ's eldest son Fred Fenwick then received the inspiration to show his shops into malls after visiting Paris to review the retail trade. They designed their shops so they might have totally different sorts of products in departments all beneath the identical roof.

The household's third retailer was opened in Leicester in 1962 after they purchased the household enterprise of Joseph Johnson – and eight extra within the UK adopted.

Group chairman Mark Fenwick stated: 'This has been a really tough resolution for us, as now we have been dedicated to serving the folks of Leicester for over 50 years.

'However the difficult buying and selling surroundings and gradual lack of footfall has made it inconceivable for us to discover a manner ahead that permits the enterprise to commerce efficiently.

'Taking care of our Leicester staff and prospects will now be a high precedence.'

And retailer director David Illingworth added: 'I wish to take this chance to thank our excellent members of workers, a lot of whom I've had the pleasure of working with for over 20 years.

'The state of affairs we discover ourselves in is under no circumstances a mirrored image of their dedication and I'll now be focusing all of my vitality on making certain they're totally supported all through the session course of.'

The closure of the Leicester department means there are simply ten Fenwick shops left in Britain, some 135 years after the chain's first outlet was based in Newcastle by JJ Fenwick in 1882.

Fenwick's ten remaining shops are in Central London's New Bond Road, North London's Brent Cross, Bracknell, York, Canterbury, Colchester, Kingston, Newcastle, Tunbridge Wells and Windsor. 

Archive shot: Ladies take a look at purses throughout a sale at an unknown Fenwick retailer in 1971

Conventional malls are going through unsure occasions, with 88 years of British retail historical past ending final summer time as BHS disappeared from the Excessive Road.

Woolworths closed its 807 UK shops after collapsing in 2008 after debt issues, turning into essentially the most high-profile UK Excessive Road casualty of the financial downturn.

And simply yesterday style chain Subsequent warned of rising costs following a fall within the worth of the pound and a droop in gross sales, with Boxing Day down by 7 per cent.

The difficulties are more likely to be mirrored by different style chains, together with Marks & Spencer, though its meals gross sales over Christmas are more likely to have been robust.

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