A major high street fashion brand has announced that it will be closing one of its stores this month. River Island which has over 250 stores across the nation will be shutting the doors of its store at Vicar Lane Shopping Centre in Chesterfield. Shoppers were informed of the news that the store will close on April 19 via a Facebook post. Locals were also told that there would be a huge closing down sale with prices being cut by up to 30%.

The post by Vicar Lane Shopping Centre read: "Get 30% off full price and sale items, in-store ONLY. Don't miss out, the store closes for good at 17:30pm on Saturday April 19, so now's the time to grab a bargain!"

Just days prior, River Island announced that its store in Willow Place, Corby, will close at the end of April.

River Island is among the many high street stores that are being forced to pull down the shutters or sell up after struggling over the last few years. The fashion brand had to cut 350 jobs in 2020 following the Covid-19 pandemic impact on businesses.

The retailer revealed that the pandemic was "one of the most significant challenges that River Island has ever faced" and it was reported that the retailer made a pre-tax loss of £51.1 million that year.

Despite the closure plan in works, it has not been confirmed how many employees will be affected by the move or whether any have been issued redundancy notices. The retailer also has not revealed the reasoning behind the closure.

While plenty of high street brands have been shutting the doors of their branches due to financial issues, some stores are also closing for other reasons including the end of tendancies or their branch not making as much profit as others.

It is not known whether this closure will lead to any other instances in its over 250 stores. However, in regard to Vicar Lane Shopping Centre branch, shoppers have 10 days to snap up some of the deals. The store opens between 9:30 am and 5:30 pm.

River Island was first founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis, as small line of shops called Lewis before transforming into several invidually named boutiques. In the late 1980s, Bernard's son Leonard, thought of the name shoppers know today, River Island.

As well as its stores in the UK, it ships to 125 countries across the globe and the brand employs nearly 8,000 staff.