A HEAD office has been criticised for saying one of its stores will not close – even though a sign in the window says it will and staff have been told they are being made redundant.
Dorothy Perkins in Hitchin will shut after parent group Arcadia agreed to close a number of stores nationwide.
But the company, which also owns Topshop, Miss Selfridge and BHS, has said the store will not close, even though there are signs in the windows saying it is and staff have confirmed they have been told it will.
It is believed the Hitchin store, which is situated on Bancroft, will result in eight jobs being lost when it closes on June 22.
A spokesman from head office told the Comet this morning (Wednesday) the store would not be closing, after being contacted yesterday first thing.
The Comet has challenged the claim and is waiting for a response.
But town centre manager Keith Hoskins said he was “very angry” about the denial.
On the closure itself, he added: “It’s nothing to do with the performance of the store locally and it’s not through any fault of the trading position in Hitchin.
“All I can think is that maybe the landlord has somebody in mind to go in there, because I don’t understand why he wouldn’t do a deal with Dorothy Perkins to keep them in there.”
The building where the store is based was split between the women’s chain and the former Early Learning Centre, which is also vacant.
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