Disney has confirmed the proposed closure date for its last store in the North East.
Earlier this year, the company announced it planned to close the Metrocentre Disney Store, along with most of its shops across the country,
And bosses are now aiming to shut the doors of the Gateshead branch for the last time on Sunday September 19.
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A Disney spokesperson told ChronicleLive: "I can confirm that the proposed last day of trading for the store at the Metrocentre is 19th September."
Disney's other North East outlet, the shop at the Bridges shopping centre in Sunderland, closed in June, while the Disney pop-up shop in Eldon Square has also closed for good.
The store has been a popular feature in of the shopping centre for kids and families for many years, with a Disney-branded shop present during the early years of the Metrocentre in the 90s.
Disney was unable to confirm how many jobs would be lost in the North East as a result of the closure.
Announcing the closure of most of its UK stores and many in the US, Disney said it planned to focus on "a more seamless, personalized and franchise-focused ecommerce experience through its shop Disney platform which will be complemented by greater integration with Disney Parks apps and social media platforms".
Stephanie Young, Disney's president for consumer products, games and publishing, said: “While consumer behaviour has shifted toward online shopping, the global pandemic has changed what consumers expect from a retailer.
“Over the past few years, we’ve been focused on meeting consumers where they are already spending their time, such as the expansion of Disney store shop-in-shops around the world.
"We now plan to create a more flexible, interconnected ecommerce experience that gives consumers easy access to unique, high-quality products across all our franchises.”
The Metrocentre has been hit by a number of high-profile closures in the wake of the pandemic, with the likes of Debenhams, Topshop and Dorothy Perkins now gone for good.
