AN ICONIC footwear chain is set to shut a store forever in a high street double whammy.
Clarks is closing the doors to shoppers at Westwood Cross Shopping Centre in Kent.
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The announcement was made via a poster on the store window and it is not known what will happen to staff who currently work there.
It is understood the footwear shop will close in mid-November.
The nearest Clarks store will now be in Deal High Street or Whitefriars in Canterbury.
Customers took to social media to vent their disappointment after hearing the news.
One said: “That’s absolutely shocking news. Especially about Clarks. How very sad. I do hope they are soon taken up by new businesses.”
Another commented: “Rents too high, rates too high, cost-of-living crisis, only going to see more – really sad news.”
Luxury jewellery brand Iconic Jewellery also announced its departure.
A Clarks spokesperson said: “Clarks confirms its store at Westwood Cross, Thanet, will close in late 2023.
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“We have a strong duty of care to all our employees, and we are working closely with the store team as they now go through a period of consultation.
“Customers can continue to shop from our full range of products online and at our nearby Clarks stores in Deal and Canterbury.”
It comes after Clarks closed its doors to customers in Fareham Shopping Centre in July.
The shoe shop also closed a store in Dundee on July 25.
Before this, it brought the shutters down on two stores in Kent in Ashford and Gillingham at the end of 2022.
Clarks was founded in 1825 by Cyrus Clark in Street, Somerset, and at its peak operated across over 1,400 stores and franchises internationally.
But as of July 2023, the brand operated just 320 stores after battling to keep a presence on the high street.
