High street retailer H&M has put up a sign in its Durham store inviting customers to travel nearly 15 miles to the next city as it closes one of its prominent stores.
The chain caught customers and residents unaware with the closure of the store in the city’s Prince Bishops Shopping Centre – as soon as Sunday (July 24).
People have been left shocked and dismayed by the sudden closure, with one 84-year-old resident saying today the city was in danger of becoming a "ghost town" and it was “the worst” he has seen it.
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A poster-sized sign is on display in H&M's shop window. It says: “Thank you for shopping with us in Durham.
“This store closes on 24th July. Find everything you need in a nearby Sunderland store”.
The small print draws attention to its website.
The store in the Bridges in Sunderland is up to 15 miles away.
When The Northern Echo approached H&M, we asked how many jobs would be affected by the closure.
The company did not address this question in its statement, which is included below.
We visited the Durham store today and asked some members of staff if they wished to discuss the closure, but they declined to comment.
George Tindale, who was walking past said: “I honestly think Durham is going to a ghost town. There’s that many shops closed down. Go down Silver Street and it’s just the same.”
“Good luck with getting new traders to come in. It will probably be the rates. They are charging far too much If they want to have people in charge them the right amount.
“It’s sad. It’s sad. I have lived in Durham all my life and I’m 84 and I have never seen it like this. It’s a beautiful place Durham. But shops like a proper Mark and Spencer isn’t here. They’ve all disappeared unbelievable.”
Council leaders have expressed their dismay and pledged to encourage more independent traders to the city.
Graham Wood, Durham County Council’s economic development manager, said: “We are disappointed to hear of the closure of H&M’s Durham store, but sadly it continues the trend we have been seeing since the start of the pandemic of businesses being impacted by the increase in online shopping.
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“We continue to work with property owners, agents and Durham BID to bring new operators to Durham City.
He added: “In addition to the Millburngate development, which is now nearing completion of its first phase, we have a number of businesses which should be confirming new store openings in the coming weeks.
“We hope the emerging stores help to continue the process of investment and change we are seeing in Durham City and also provide job opportunities for those employed by H&M.
“We will be offering support to those affected by H&M’s announcement.
Chair of the City of Durham, Parish Council’s Business Committee Councillor Elizabeth Scott said: “It is obviously very disappointing to lose a store like H&M from Durham, with lots of people turning to this store for children’s clothes for instance.
“Our first concern is obviously the staff involved in this closure and ensuring that they find alternative employment.
“H&M expanded hugely in the UK during the 2000s and 2010s and has already exited a lot of those locations, which reflects H&M's national strategy at least as much as any Durham-specific issue”.
She added: “Unfortunately, the trend seems to be that big names are pulling out of towns and cities all over the UK, and the pool of potential new chain store occupants is quite limited.
“This reinforces the strategy that the Parish Council is taking, in encouraging and supporting independent retailers - who are expanding while multiples retract.
“At the same time the Parish Council is advocating the repurposing of surplus retail space for other functions, such as housing on upper floors, and innovative attractions like the upcoming Durham Distillery at Prince Bishops and Lane7 in Walkergate.”
“The Parish Council's engagement with existing and potential Durham traders reinforces that business rates are absolutely the biggest barrier to the growth of the high street.
“The message made by the Parish Council in the most recent government consultation is that business rates need replacing with a system that better reflects the costs and challenges of trading in city centres like Durham”
It is not clear how many members of staff will be affected by the move.
H&M UK said in a statement: "During the last few years, we have seen a rapid change in customer behaviour that we cannot ignore.
"We continuously need to evaluate and develop our business to meet our customers’ needs and offer the best possible shopping experience, whether it’s online or in our physical stores.
"Our ambition is to continue investing in our customers, open new stores where we see opportunities and develop our digital channels.
"We continuously evaluate how we should invest in stores and sometimes decisions must be made to enable long-term growth. This means that we sometimes need to close stores. This decision has now been made for our Durham store."
The statement continued: "Customer behaviour is constantly changing, and we need to adapt accordingly.
"We want to be where our customers are. The physical store is still extremely important to us and will be a place for customers to shop, discover and be inspired.
"At H&M, we are constantly working to integrate physical and digital stores, we want to find the strength in each channel and make the customer journey smooth, says a spokesperson at H&M UK & Ireland.
"Our customers can continue to shop in the nearby stores, and as always on hm.com."
“Those looking for information and guidance should go to www.durham.gov.uk/employability for more details.”
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