Member Article

Laura Ashley shuts up shop in central York

A MAJOR retailer is set to leave York city centre after permission was given to turn its rented shop unit into a restaurant.

Laura Ashley’s shop on Davygate will close within two months, leaving the company with only an out-of-town presence in York, at Monks Cross.

The company has confirmed that its landlord’s decision to convert the property into a restaurant means it is losing its city centre location.

A company spokesman said: “It is with regret that the Laura Ashley city centre store in York will close by May 2015 as we have been notified that one of our landlords has obtained permission to convert the store into a restaurant. We are in consultation with all employees affected by this closure and we aim to re-deploy where possible.

“We look forward to welcoming new and existing customers to our newly-opened York store on Julia Avenue, Monks Cross, which showcases our range of fashion, decorating, furniture and accessories.”

The current shop has entrances on Davygate and Little Stonegate, and is made up of two different units with different owners, with the more lucrative home furnishing department run out of Little Stonegate.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .