A popular department store in a Northumberland market town is to close.
Beales, on Hexham’s Fore Street , is to shut its doors in the autumn, with the owners citing the challenging conditions on the UK High Street that have seen dozens of retail chains either closing shops or going bust entirely.
Beales is the main department in Hexham, having taken over the site of the historic Robbs store in 2010 when its owners went into administration.
The store had previously been at risk in 2016, only to survive when Beales went into a CVA agreement that reduced its rent.
It is not currently known how many jobs are at risk with the closure.
The demise of the store comes at a difficult time for the retail industry in general, and department stores in particular.
Sports retailer Start Fitness doubles profit in successful year of trading
The House of Fraser chain went into administration last year, being taken over by Newcastle United Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct. Debenhams - in which Sports Direct was the largest single shareholder - went into administration last week and has been acquired by its lenders.
Beales, which is based in Bournemouth, has 21 stores around the country in locations including Kendal, Chipping Norton, Peterborough and Lowestoft.
It had previously had shops in the North East at Bishop Auckland and Redcar, but these had shut down in the last few years.
Whitley Bay Dragons' Den winners conquer the High Street with massive order
The company’s chief executive Tony Brown said: “The lease on our Hexham store expires this autumn, we have been working alongside our landlord and their architects on possible long-term options for the site that would accommodate a smaller Beales store and these discussions are ongoing.
“Since Beales entered into a CVA agreement with the landlord in 2015 they have been very supportive. However, the current climate on the high street alongside increasing costs, especially business rates, which now exceed our rent means we have come to the difficult decision to close the store.
“We would like to thank our colleagues and customers in Hexham for all their support over the years.”
