A major department store at a south Essex shopping centre has announced it will be shutting its doors for good.

House of Fraser has announced it is closing its branch in Lakeside Shopping Centre in the new year as staff were told of the closure on Friday (October 20), the Sun reports.

A spokesman for Frasers Group told the paper: “It is with regret that we announce House of Fraser Lakeside will be closing in January 2024.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their hard work and dedication.

“Where possible, we are committed to finding new roles within the group for staff.”


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The huge department store in the centre will be closed in January 2024.

It comes after Frasers Group chief executive, Michael Murray, said House of Fraser is a "broken business" and likely to "diminish".

He told The Telegraph: “We’ve completely changed the operating model.

“It was mostly concession, the stores were way too big, they were under-invested.

“Our future vision is that House of Fraser will diminish and Frasers will grow.”

A number of retailers have disappeared from the shopping centre over the years, including the large Debenhams branch - which is now being replaced by Marks and Spencer - and most recently Wilko.