Debenhams in Dumfries has closed its doors for good despite the retail giant being saved in an eleventh hour buyout deal.
The historic brand has been bought by trendy online clothing and accessories retailer Boohoo and will move to solely internet trading.
It will not save historic shop fronts owned by 242-year-old Debenhams, including the Dumfries High Street site.
The news has been branded a letdown by business leaders in the town.
Lee Medd, spokesman for Dumfries and Galloway Chamber of Commerce said: “It’s really disappointing because that’s more quality retail jobs being lost in Dumfries and Galloway.
“It’s the name only that’s going, there’s not going to be any support for those jobs from the High Street.
“It’s another devastating blow, another big store lying empty, more of those jobs being added to the statistics in Dumfries and Galloway.
“Is there really going to be somebody who will take over these shops in the current retail environment? It looks doubtful, especially when you think that the last three businesses to occupy that site have gone bust.”
He added that traditional store chains like Sir Philip Green’s failed Arcadia Group owners of Burton and Dorothy Perkins, have been too slow to adapt to the changing face of retailing and are inclined to forget about their core customer base when they do.
Mr Medd added: “The Dumfries Debenhams wasn’t sure what it wanted to be, it didn’t seem to carry a full range of anything.
“If the stuff was available online, you would have to wait a couple of days for them to get it in and even then you probably had to order two for size.”
Boohoo has hailed the move to buy the Debenhams name and website business in a £55m takeover as a “huge step” and a “transformational deal”.
Mr Medd urged shoppers to support remaining High Street businesses after coronavirus measures ease, saying: “It’s vital that people shop locally and use the High Street.”
