CASTLECOURT Shopping Centre has been dealt another crippling body blow with news a major clothing retailer is set to close its doors on Saturday.
It has been confirmed that Simply Be and Jacamo's ground floor unit on Royal Avenue is to close following the conclusion of a consultation process carried out by owners N Brown. It is thought that roughly 10 Belfast jobs are to be lost as the result of the closure and approximately 200 in total across the UK.
In the retailer's first quarter trading update, published in June, N Brown launched the consultation process, which put the future of its 20 Simply Be and Jacamo stores in the UK, including the Belfast outlet under threat.
At the time it said the action had not been taken lightly and was in part due to "continued weak high street footfall" and in line with "our online strategy".
In an updated statement yesterday a spokesperson told the Irish News that all stores in the UK are now set to close by the end of the month.
"We can confirm that following that extensive consultation process, there has been a collective agreement that there are no viable alternatives and as a result the proposal to close the stores at the end of August 2018 will go ahead.
"We recognise that this is a very difficult time for all staff involved in our store operations and will continue to support them throughout this period."
A poster with a 'Goodbye Belfast' message appeared in the window of the Belfast store yesterday confirming Saturday's closure date.
"This store will be closing on Saturday 25th August. You can still shop with us 24/7 at simplybe.co.uk and jacamo.co.uk. Thank you from all the team here," the poster reads.
The closure is another blow to the local high street, which has already seen the departure of Maplin and Toys R Us this year, the latter operating one of its four outlets at CastleCourt Shopping Centre. There are also concerns in relation to the future of House of Fraser after its £90 million takeover by Mike Ashley's Sports Direct earlier this month.
Holywood property investment firm Wirefox acquired CastleCourt last July from Hermes Fund Managers in a £125m deal - the largest single commercial property transaction to take place in Northern Ireland in recent years.
The third largest shopping centre in the north with 340,000 square feet of space, CastleCourt opened its doors to the public on Royal Avenue in 1990.
