AN ICONIC childrenswear shop is set to close its doors after 40 years in business.
Heartbroken parents who adored the popular clothes store have been left bitterly disappointed by the shocking news.
2
2
The independent retailer Designer Childrenswear announced they are shutting down it’s Sunderland store.
The online shop that has proved wildly popular over the last few years will continue to run as normal.
The successful business, owned by husband and wife super team Brenda and Kevin Coade, opened its first store in 1984 and has become one of the North Easts most successful retailers both in-store and online.
Originally based on Olive Street in Sunderland, they moved to a much larger shop on Derwent Street in 2019.
read more in shops closing
That same year they won a prestigious award – Drapers Kidswear Independent Shop of the Year.
They also won Multichannel of the Year, one year earlier.
They quickly expanded worldwide online after opening and have become a favourite for parents everywhere.
Big time boxer Tyson Fury and reality TV star turned professional fighter Aaron Chalmers have been seen dressing up their kids in the beloved outfits sold in Designer Childrenswear.
Most read in Money
On their official website, the Coade’s make it clear that keeping theor customers happy is the main goal of the brand.
They wrote online: “Our customers are at the centre of everything we do at Designer Childrenswear, with customer service remaining our number one priority.
“From assisting customers in our flagship Sunderland store to displaying our products online, picking, packing and distribution, every part of our service is designed and performed with gold standard customer experience at the heart of the process.”
This upsetting news comes just days after a different high street clothing and outdoor retailer with more than 260 stores is to close another branch and shoppers are “shocked”.
The stores Ryde shop on the Isle of Wight is due to close soon with an exact date yet to be set.
The cost of living crisis, stubbornly high inflation and energy costs are taking their toll on retailers.
Shoppers have been cutting back spending, while the cost of actually running a store has also increased, meaning some outlets have struggled to keep going.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) this summer found the UK had lost 6,000 stores over a five-year period.
Read More on The Sun
In more positive news, Marks and Spencer is set to open nine new shops this month and some are throwing their doors open for the first time within days.
B&M is also opening more than a dozen new branches across the UK by the end of 2023.
