CLOTHING giants Next have announced plans to shut its Irvine store.

The company have confirmed they are closing its popular Next Clearance shop in the town’s Riverway Retail Park in April – much to the shock of devastated staff.

Next claim the decision was made to close the store due to the end of the lease of the building.

But the Times understands the store has actually been achieving its budget.

A source at the Irvine store claims a mystery shopper survey was carried out a fortnight ago and returned with a 100 per cent rating for customer satisfaction and customer service.

Speaking to the Times after the announcement, the source said: “Although the store has been consistently achieving it’s budget and was named the top store last year, they are closing it.

"It seems it all comes down to the fact that the lease is up. Financially the store is making money above its budget but the powers that be have decided that it’s not worth renewing it’s lease so all the hard working staff are left with nothing. 

“This decision is hard to take. If the store was financially struggling it would make sense to close but as it’s in profit it purely comes down to someone’s decision that the store and the staff are not worth it.

"Staff are devastated and there were plenty in tears at the news.”
They added: “It’s not right and it’s not even a good financial decision by the company – it makes absolutely no sense. 

“The staff were told that the company had tried to look at other premises but quite frankly that’s rubbish. The demand for Next in Irvine is obviously there as are the sales.”

Next refused to be drawn on the shop’s supposedly healthy financial situation.

But the company confirmed they are in consultation to offer staff at the Irvine store other positions elsewhere.

A spokesman for Next said: “We are closing this store because we are coming to the end of the lease and concentrating on other stores in the area.

“We are currently in the process of offering all members of staff a position in the nearby/surrounding stores.”