Retail giant Dixons Carphone has announced plans to close all 35 travel stores in the UK – placing 400 jobs at risk.
The company said the closures are linked to the government’s decision to stop tax-free airside shopping at the start of January.
All affected employees will all be offered alternative roles within the group, which owns the Currys PC World and Carphone Warehouse brands.
The group said travel restrictions also played a part in the decision to axe the 35 stores, which typically bring in revenues of £20million a year.
“We do not expect passenger numbers to recover sufficiently to compensate for the removal of airside tax-free shopping by the UK government from 1 January,” a statement said.
"This has led to the difficult decision to close this business."
The announcement came as Dixons Carphone also said that - thanks to strong recent sales - it was paying back £73million in furlough support from the government.
In December, the group's chief executive Alex Baldock had faced questions over why the money was not being repaid as it swung to a half-year profit.
It has also now repaid all of the £144million in VAT that had been deferred by the government.
In a recent sales report, Dixons Carphone said that group electricals online sales are expected to more than double to £4.5billion for the year.
However, there was no mention of the company's mobile phone division Carphone Warehouse, which was withdrawn from the high street last year.
Earlier this month, it also said it would shut the brand's stores in Ireland.
.png?w=600)
