A HIGH street clothing store in Dorchester is to close its doors.
Formal menswear specialist Moss Bros has announced it is set to shut its county town branch as the lease is set to expire on the premises.
Store manager Adam Grada said he had been informed of the closure but could not speak on behalf of the company in terms of giving more details about the closure and what the future holds for his two members of staff.
Sotos Georgalli, creative director for the chain that has over 130 stores nationwide, confirmed the closure of the Dorchester store.
He said: “Regrettably the store is closing due to lease expiry.”
Mr Georgalli said the date of the store’s closure had not been finalised but the store had to be returned to the landlord on March 24.
He added that Moss Bros was hoping to find alternative employment within the company for staff at the Dorchester store.
Mr Georgalli: “It is very much our intention to try and retain the services of the employees.
“During the next few weeks we will have conversations about any suitable alternative employment as part of our consultations with each of the three individuals currently working in the store. “At this stage no employees have been made redundant, this is only the start of the consultation process.”
President of the Dorchester and District Chamber of Commerce Alison Moore said she hoped a new business will be quick up to take up the opportunity when Moss Bros does close its doors.
She said: “It is a loss and hopefully the people that work there will all get jobs elsewhere.
“Dorchester seems to be fairly vibrant and we have had a couple of great new shops opening recently so hopefully it won’t be empty for long.”
Moss Bross is one of two shops at the top end of South Street preparing for closure as the town’s Millets store is currently holding a closing down sale after its parent company went into administration last year.
Uncertainty ends in closure
DORCHESTER’S Millets store is closing after more than a year of uncertainty.
Blacks Leisure, which owns Millets and Blacks stores, went into administration last January causing fears for the future of the two stores in the county town.
However, soon after the company went into administration fashion retailer JD Sports announced it had agreed to buy up 290 stores owned by Blacks Leisure.
It was announced that Blacks in South Street and Millets at Cornhill would both remain trading as normal, as would all other stores nationwide, while a JD Sports carried out a review of the portfolio. It has now been announced that the Millets store in Dorchester is to close on March 9.
What are your thought on this store closing down?
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