Lambretta's city centre store is closing later this month, but the team behind the brand insist this is "not the end".
The store, which specialises in clothing inspired by the Mod movement of the 1960s, is known for its extensive collection of polo shirts, knitwear, jeans and more.
On May 21, the Lambretta Whitechapel store will close its doors for good, after five years in operation. It first opened in November 2018, after spending 2017 in the Metquarter.
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Regional manager at Lambretta, Francesca Briers, told the ECHO closing the store "wasn't an easy decision to make", and came about due to increased rental prices which made it "unfeasible" for the store to remain open. Elaborating, she said: "It's really come down to that we're at the end of our lease there and the new rent rate they want to charge us, with the price increases, we just can't stay there."
Francesca, 32, continued: "It's very, very high, and that would mean we wouldn't be able to deliver our products at the same prices because if our overheads are higher, then those costs have to come from somewhere else so it wasn't feasible for us.
"We still wanted to be able to offer customers the same price point but if we were to agree to these new things they wanted to charge, we wouldn't be able to do that. Everyone is aware of the struggle on the high street so hopefully something will become available from the government that we can take up and help us."
But the Lambretta team are adamant the brand will return to the city centre in the future. Francesca, who is from the West Midlands, where Lambretta is based, said: "It's a real shame - we are looking for other spaces in the city centre but nothing has come up yet.
"We've stayed there [at Whitechapel] as long as possible after we got our notice, but it's come to an end now. It's hopefully just goodbye for now.
"We will always be looking for something in the area because [Lambretta] resonates with the city. It's a city of music and culture, and that's what Lambretta is about.
"We like to have a presence in the city; people who come to Liverpool come to see everything the city offers, and some travel in to see us too. That kind of culture, we go hand in hand. It's just a case that we haven't got anything right now but hopefully, watch this space. If the right location at the right price came up, we'd snap it up."
Of the reaction from customers, Francesca added: "I was there [at Whitechapel] a couple of days last week and the customers coming in are very sad to see us close. We do have a store in Chester so it's not too far away, and hopefully that'll soften the blow a little bit. It's not the end of Lambretta - it's not all doom and gloom."
Lambretta's Liverpool city centre store will close on May 21, 2023. It is based at 32 Whitechapel, Liverpool, L1 6DZ.
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