H&M at Commercial Road, the last store to close for good

The store will close on September 12, with a spokesperson directing people to the Castlepoint store.

The spokesperson said: ‘H&M Bournemouth will close on 12 September.

“At H&M we are constantly reviewing our store portfolio, the decision to close this particular store was part of the long term strategy to ensure that we are providing our customers with the best possible shopping experience in the right places.

“Customers can continue to purchase quality clothing at the best price from our nearby Castlepoint store or online.”

It was not known how many jobs would be lost or how many stores across the country were closing.

Bournemouth town center BID chairman Martin Davies has said independent businesses will help the town take over.

He said: “It is unfortunate that we are losing a great national brand and my sincere condolences go out to the staff members.

“But it’s a pattern that is repeating itself in city centers and shopping streets up and down the country, in large part because of changing consumer habits.

“National names play an important role in the vitality of our city centers, but a key driver of our success will be independent and independent retail and hospitality businesses.

“They will drive recovery and revitalization and many of them show a vibrant business in our downtown area. We also have the good news that Bobby’s service is returning to the Debenhams building. ”

Davies added that the closure would add urgency to BCP council’s downtown strategy and he also urged landlords to take a more flexible approach to critical issues such as rents and leases.

Bobby’s store was scheduled to open on August 7, but was pushed back to September 9 after workers were surveyed by the NHS app.

The store’s arrival will create 260 new jobs, Verve Properties said, and would be a transformation for the Square.

Ashley Nicholson, Director of Verve, said: “Historically, Bobby’s has always been at the heart of downtown and the community.

“So we’re really excited to be able to bring good news about job creation on our main street as so many retail areas across the UK are in decline.

“We look forward to recruiting a team that will help us integrate Bobby’s into a downtown area that truly serves the local community.