THE planned closure of Tesco's landmark store on Belfast's Royal Avenue has been described as the latest blow to the city centre.
Tesco Metro, beside the fire-ravaged Primark building, opened in 1996 and is one of its 10 outlets across the city.
The company said it expects it to close "when the lease ends in the next 12 months".
The lease is reportedly due to expire in October 2021 and cost the supermarket giant around £1 million a year.
The store had endured a tough two years, with the fire which gutted Primark's Bank Buildings in August 2018 forcing it to shut for nine months, although Tesco said the decision is "not specifically related to this".
The historic building, formerly the head office of the Provincial Bank of Ireland, was trapped in an exclusion zone enforced immediately after the fire which initially left 14 businesses unable to trade.
It had been open again for less than a year when it was hit by the Covid lockdown in March, which dramatically reduced footfall in the city centre.
Tesco said it had been a "difficult decision" but it has secured a new site for a Tesco Express in the city centre.
Simon Hamilton, chief executive of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said it was the latest blow to the city centre after the announcement of the closure of Eason's.
He called on the Executive to "take the need to rejuvenate city and town centres more seriously".
"The retail sector has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. It was already facing huge challenges, but the restrictions imposed to stop the spread of Covid-19 are massive and will be felt for some time to come."
Mr Hamilton urged ministers to create "a task force that focuses on how we can breathe renewed life back into our city and town centre" and further financial support aimed at facilitating safe re-opening.
"We cannot allow our city and town centres to continue to absorb blows like this without fighting back."
Belfast deputy lord mayor Paul McCusker also said he would be writing to the economy minister and Belfast City Council economic development unit following this "terrible news".
"This is a very popular store in Belfast city centre in an iconic building. We need to ensure that all the staff working here will have their jobs protected," he said.
A spokesperson for Tesco said: "Unfortunately we have been unable to find a route to long-term viability for the store, which as you may be aware was also heavily impacted by the Primark fire - while this didn't help, the decision to close is not specifically related to this.
"I want to reassure you that this is an isolated decision and we will continue to serve customers from our nine other stores in Belfast.
"Our priority now is to support our colleagues and work with those who wish to find an alternative role in one of our other Belfast stores.
"We continue to invest in Northern Ireland, with over 9,000 colleagues in 56 stores."
