Department store doomed to close after 100 years
BBCA department store is to close after more than 100 years in a town centre.
House of Fraser's shop in Darlington opened as Binns in 1922 but, despite a reprieve for the store last year, closing down signs have now been placed in its windows once more.
The retail chain previously announced plans to shut its Darlington store in 2024, but later signed a one-year deal to stay in town.
A Darlington Council spokesperson described the move as "disappointing" and said: "The store has been at the heart of our town centre for many years and will undoubtedly be a miss for Darlington shoppers."
The news of the closure comes months after plans were approved to convert the ground floor of the High Row store into six individual stores with one main retail operator, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
John Taylor, the property owner's agent, said the decision was made to "keep options open" for the future while it continued to work with House of Fraser.
House of Fraser, whose lease on High Row expires in March, has been contacted for comment.
