French Connection shuts down its Preston store

French Connection, located in the Miller Arcade in Church Street, has now closed permanently. Pic: Google

The fashion retailer in Miller Arcade, Church Street served its last customers on Sunday (October 11) before closing the store for good.

The shop remains shuttered today and there are no plans to reopen the store in the future.

The retailer has not given a reason for the closure at this stage, but staff were told of the company's plans to close the Preston store in August.

A closing down sale has been taking place over the past couple of weeks, but management had not confirmed when the store would officially close.

In July, French Connection announced that it had secured £15million in cash funding after the company said it was struggling with reduced sales due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Today, customers who are signed up to its newsletter were informed of the sudden closure and directed to its Manchester store for future shopping trips.

The email said: "The doors to our Preston store have now closed, but it's definitely not goodbye.

"We know you have loved coming into our Preston store and thank you for visiting us over the years.

"We will miss seeing you, so do come and say hello to our team at your nearest store in Manchester."

The company was founded in the early 1970s by Stephen Marks, who is chairman and chief executive of the fashion business.

French Connection has been approached for comment.