FOLLOWING the announcement that House of Fraser will be closing branches across the country, The Northern Echo spoke to shoppers in Darlington to find out how they felt about the news.
The decision closely follows the closure of Marks and Spencer on Northgate, Darlington, who announced their withdrawal from the high street at the end of May.
Ann-Marie Crossley, 60, of Darlington said: “It’s so sad that it follows the loss of other big outlets. We’ve already lost Mothercare and Marks and Spencer.
"The high street might reach a stage when the number of empty shops outweighs the number of occupied ones and if it gets to that point it will be hard to reverse it. People want to invest in the area. It’s such a shame. I don’t know what the real answer is.”
Jayne Folkes, 56, of Sedgefield said: “I heard the news this morning. I have family that live in Plymouth and they are losing their House of Fraser, so it was quite a shock to me when I found the Darlington one is closing too. It’s very sad.
"I know the high street is changing and more people are shopping online, but I’ve grown up with there being nice department stores and they were a place to have a day out and stop for a coffee and socialise. It makes you think what’s left to go? It’s a huge building so I don’t know what is going to fill it.”
Susan Tolu, 66, of Darlington said: “I think House of Fraser is needed for the town. It’s such a big building so I was wondering what will to fill it.
"I’ve been coming here for years and a lot of local people use the cafes in House of Fraser for its social aspect. Where are they going to go now?
"They don’t think about the local people when they close down large branches and they don’t think about the staff who are going to lose their jobs. I just can’t fathom it.”
Louis Hargrave, 17, of Thirsk said: “I have heard that House of Fraser might be closing, but I’m not bothered too much by it because I don’t shop there regularly. It’s definitely a loss to the town centre because there are less and less places people can shop at when they come into town. It’s all online shopping now. I shop a lot online myself.”
Asa Duke, 39, of Barnsley, who has been working in Darlington this week, said: “To be quite honest it doesn’t surprise me. With Marks and Spencer, I don’t think they are quite up to the times in terms of clothing.
"I don’t shop a lot in House of Fraser myself so I’m not sure about the kinds of products they sell but it’s indicative to the town centre. If parking was cheaper I think that would help, because people want to do the most convenient thing. There needs to be some investment to get people on the high street.”
Nick Hamlett, 30, of Halifax, also working in the town, said: “It’s probably quite indicative of the town centre. Retailers are moving out of the town to retail parks rather than bringing people in. It’s a shame really.
"High streets have always been very British but it seems like they’re dying off. It seems to be partly because more people doing online shopping, but it means that when House of Fraser closes there will be local people who have to find new jobs.”
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