Fears for Kirkcaldy store as River Island closure list is revealed

River Island is set to close 33 stories, and it has emerged that the Lang Toun is on that list along with Falkirk, Cumbernauld and Princes Street in Edinburgh.

The hit list was revealed by Drapers - a leading voice on fashion retail.

It’d be another blow for the High Street, but one it can do little to prevent.

On Friday, River Island announced plans to close stores and seek to cut rents at some 71 other premises as part of a restructuring plan. The moves could affect hundreds of jobs.

The business is battling rising costs and customers moving online or to retail parks.

Ben Lewis, chief executive, said River Island was “a much-loved retailer, with a decades-long history on the British High Street”v but he added: “The well-documented migration of shoppers from the High Street to online has left the business with a large portfolio of stores that is no longer aligned to our customers’ needs. The sharp rise in the cost of doing business over the last few years has only added to the financial burden.

“We have a clear strategy to transform the business to ensure its long-term viability. Recent improvements in our fashion offer and in-store shopping experience are already showing very positive results, but it is only with a restructuring plan that we will be able to see this strategy through and secure River Island’s future as a profitable retail business.

“We regret any job losses as a result of store closures, and we will try to keep these to a minimum.”

River Island’s plan for its stores are to be put before creditors in August and need the sanction of the High Court.

River Island is one of few remaining chain stores left on the High Street in the Lang Toun. The shift to online shopping and move to retail parks has seen the departure of a host of big names including BhS, HMV and M&S which ended an 80-year association with the High Street to focus on a new outlet at a retail park in Glenrothes town centre, while retaining its food base at Fife Retail Park in Kirkcaldy.