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23
Jan
Long-standing Harrogate shop confirms closure just days after Next takeover
A well-known Harrogate shop has launched a closing down sale just days after the brand was bought by Next.
Russell & Bromley is currently advertising 20% off products as it prepares to shut its James Street store, which has been a permanent fixture in Harrogate for years.
The news comes after the firm's brand and intellectual property were acquired by high street giant Next earlier this week.
Next has also taken on three Russell & Bromley sites – Mayfair, Chelsea and Bluewater Shopping Centre – but the other 33 stores and all nine concessions are not included in the pre-pack deal.
The future of the Harrogate store was uncertain, especially after adviser Interpath had reportedly been considering the sale of the rest of the company – its stock and stores – to liquidation specialist Retail Realisation.
But, while it's unclear if Retail Realisation has bought the bricks-and-mortar stores, the fate of the Harrogate site has been sealed.
The Stray Ferret asked Russell & Bromley Harrogate when the local shop would close, but an employee said they did not know.
LK Bennett
In a potential second blow to James Street, Next is also rumoured to be considering a takeover of womenswear business LK Bennett.
LK Bennett's James Street store is one of nine in England – the others are in York, Chester and dotted around the South East – and it also has 13 concessions, two of them in the Wilmslow and Tunbridge Wells branches of department store Hoopers, another big James Street name.
The potential closures would come as a huge shake-up to what is widely considered one of Harrogate's most prestigious streets, with a range of long-standing businesses.
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