The prominent Edinburgh Woollen Mill store on Plymouth’s Barbican has closed without warning leaving staff and shoppers “gutted”.
The shop, in a huge glass-fronted unit, closed on Tuesday, May 25, and it is understood workers have no idea why and are now in limbo.
Business Live has attempted to contact the head office of Edinburgh Woollen Mill without success. The store was one of 246 Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home stores that were saved when they were bought out of administration in late 2020.
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The Edinburgh Woollen Mill outlet in Plymouth city centre was not so lucky and shut but workers at the Barbican branch thought their jobs were safe.
And they were until this week. The store reopened after Covid restrictions were eased from April 12 and traded until Monday, May 24 when staff were told to shut up shop.
Signs have now appeared in the windows saying: “This store has now closed. Thank you to all our wonderful customers.”
The branch has been removed from the list of outlets on the Edinburgh Woollen Mill website and shoppers are directed to the outlets at Trerulefoot, in Cornwall, and Tavistock, in Devon.
Staff have been in the store this week removing items and placing them in boxes. It is understood customers have been turning up expecting to shop but have been told the store is now closed permanently.
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It is understood that customers have been told staff are “shocked” and “gutted” by the decision and mystified by why it has been taken.
Edinburgh Woollen Mill entered administration in November 2020, placing thousands of jobs at risk nationwide. It blamed the lockdown and low footfall since reopening in the summer. The clothing retail group’s Ponden Home homeware chain also entered administration at the same time.
Later in November, other Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group chains Peacocks, Austin Reed and Jacques Vert also called in administrators.
This was followed by the administration of another fashion chain owned by Edinburgh Woollen Mill owner Philip Day, Bonmarche.
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Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
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The Barbican store even began a closing down sale and the owner of the glass-fronted building said it was attracting attention from “high-quality” businesses keen to move into it.
Sutton Harbour Group Plc owns the 7,500sq ft former glassworks building, which was converted into a large retail unit and a neighbouring restaurant more than a decade ago.
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In a report to investors, the AIM-listed company said the building had been attracting attention and revealed: “A number of high-quality inquiries to rent this iconic waterfront unit have been received.”
But in January 2021 a deal was struck for the sale of Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Ponden Homes and Bonmarche to a group of international investors called Purepay Retail.
Mr Day had been a major secured creditor when the Edinburgh Woollen Mill group collapsed having bought the chain from an earlier administration in February 2020.