THE future tenants of a major Darlington store were announced yesterday (Wed) after months of uncertainty.

C&A has been planning to abandon the two-level anchor site in the Cornmill Shopping Centre for more than a year.

Company management have announced the store would close on January 20 next year, to be replaced by the Littlewoods chain.

All 25 employees at the store, who have been informed of the closing date, have received on-site help in their search for new employment through training and placement support.

The C & A store spearheaded the new shopping centre when it opened in 1992, occupying the two trading floors, which have a combined selling area of 1,470 square metres.

But it was announced in January last year that the firm planned to leave the centre as it was losing money in the unit.

And, two months ago, C & A announced its intention to close its operations in the UK and Ireland over the next six to eight months.

It said the decision came "in the face of continuing difficulties in the UK due to the changing face of the UK high street as competition had become increasingly aggressive".

The firm added its products did not meet UK customers' needs.

C&A stores in Newcastle, Gateshead and Middlesbrough have already closed this month, and a spokesman said the Sunderland store would likely close at the same time as Darlington.

A new tenant has not yet been found for the Sunderland site.

Liverpool based discount department store group TJ Hughes was strongly linked with the site, which C & A said it would not leave until new tenants were found, but, in April, it pulled out, saying the cost was too high.

Neil McCausland (ok), managing director of C&A UK, said: "The decision to close our stores and operations in the UK and Irelend has been a very difficult but necessary step.

"However, the commitment and loyalty of the store staff has been amazing."

Management at the Cornmill, where Littlewoods' subsidiary company Index already has a site, last night had no comment to make on the changes.

l Woolworths has taken leases on six C&A stores in the wake of C&A's announcement that it is pulling out of the UK market. The new Woolworths stores will be in Metro Gateshead, Wood Green, Ilford, Derby and Slough.