High Street loss as date announced for closure of River Island’s Kirkcaldy shop
The doors to a Kirkcaldy town centre clothing shop are set to close this month.
The Lang Toun’s branch of River Island is one of five Scottish outlets which will shut as part of restructuring plan for the troubled national chain.
The High Street shop’s days were numbered when it was on a list of 33 closures confirmed last summer. With the New Year barely underway it has been announced that its branches in Kirkcaldy and Falkirk will shut on January 31. River Island stores in Perth, Kilmarnock and Cumbernauld will also cease trading this month.
A spokesperson for the company previously said: “We regret any job losses as a result of store closures, and we will try to keep these to a minimum.”
Rive Island’s troubles emerged last June when it embarked on a programme of closures and negotiations to cut rents in some towns as it battled rising costs and customers moving online or to retail parks.
Ben Lewis, chief executive, described River Island was “a much-loved retailer, with a decades-long history on the British High Street” - 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 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, Littlewoods, 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 outlet at Fife Retail Park.