Shrewsbury shoe shop Cloggs set to close

Cloggs, in Pride Hill, will close on Saturday after more than four years in the town.

The company was founded in 1979 by Russell Thomas and was set up online in 1998. It was bought by JD Sports in 2013 before the shop was launched in Shrewsbury.

A spokeswoman for JD Sports said it was expected that there would be fewer than 20 redundancies.

She said: "The Cloggs Online Limited business was bought out of administration in 2013 and whilst the current management and staff have made every effort to deliver a robust business, it is apparent that the levels of investment required to build market share and profits within this highly competitive and challenging trading environment, are significantly higher than had originally been envisaged.

"The business is currently working with its people and suppliers to oversee a controlled closure, which is expected to result in less than 20 redundancies.

"We are currently working with impacted individuals to apply for vacant roles within the wider group. Brands and suppliers have been contacted separately with the business ensuring that stocks and services provided to date are paid for in full.

"Closure costs are not expected to be significant.”

New stores opened in York and Newcastle in 2014.

It is the latest in a string of closures on Pride Hill, with McDonald's leaving its premises in February last year.

The McDonald’s premises remains empty while the former Bank shop at the bottom of Pride Hill has been vacant since the company collapsed into administration in 2015.