Shopping center 'ruined' because jewelers with 90 stores abruptly close their branches
Locals claim their shopping center has been “destroyed” after the sudden closure of a historic jewelery store.
The retailer – Goldsmiths – announced that their branch in the Belfast Forestside Shopping Center was closing as they wanted to “concentrate” on several locations.
According to the Belfast Telegraphthe closure came after Goldsmiths decided not to renew their lease – which could result in a number of redundancies for locals currently working there.
Margaret McClelland, center manager at Forestside, said it was “unfortunate” to see the business leave the shopping centre.
She added: “Goldsmiths have made a strategic decision as a business to focus on city center stores as an alternative to shopping center locations.
“This is their policy guidance across the UK and therefore fundamental to their decision not to renew Lesley Forestside's lease.
“It's sad to see them leave, especially since they've been downtown tenants for a long time.”
The news was posted on social media and locals have taken to the comments to express their frustration at the closure – in what appears to be yet another sign that high street shopping is on the brink of death.
A local, Gina, said: “I'm sorry to hear this, beautiful rings.”
A second local woman, Amanda, said: “Sad day to lose another decent shop in Forestside.”
A third local said: “It will be the next charity shops.”
A fourth resident, Pete, said: “Most shopping centers will disappear due to internet shopping and low footfall.”
A fifth local said: “Not enough visitors are coming through the doors.”
And it's not the only downtown store to close recently; Coffee shop General Merchants also closed its doors to make way for work.
The news adds to shoppers' ongoing concerns that high street stores will soon become a thing of the past as online shopping continues to explode with each new generation being born.
News of major retailer closures is becoming more common every year, with big names such as Boots, WHSmith and Lidl all announcing closures – some as early as next month.
It comes as shop owners saw the volume of products sold over Christmas fall at the fastest rate in three years – down to 3.2 per cent according to data suggested by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Last week, shoppers were saddened to see a Zara branch in Telford close on January 26.
And outdoor clothing store Trespass pulled down the shutters on its outlet in Blackburn, Lancashire, a few days ago.
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