Ray of light for House of Fraser store

THE future of Birmingham’s House of Fraser store continues to hang in the balance despite the troubled firm’s flagship store in London being offered a lifeline this week.

The 169-year-old company, which was bought by Sports Direct for £90 million earlier this month, has announced its store in Oxford Street will remain open.

It had been set to close under the previous ownership as part of wider plans to shut 31 of the group’s 59 shops across the UK which was announced in June before it went into administration.

Other stores also earmarked for closure included Birmingham’s famous store in Corporation Street along with shops in Leamington Spa, Shrewsbury, Telford, Worcester and the well-know Beatties in Wolverhampton.

But in an interview last week, Sports Direct’s owner Mike Ashley suggested around 80 per cent of the 59 stores could now be saved from closure with some turning over parts of the shops to Sports Direct products.

But Ashley stopped short of naming specific shops which he would strive to keep, leaving Birmingham and its sister sites across the West Midlands still waiting to hear their fate.

Michael Murray, head of elevation at Sports Direct, said: “We said we would keep as many stores open as possible and in less than a week we have saved the biggest store. Oxford Street was meant to close in January and now it’s safe which is great news for all parties.

“Everyone must remember it was a bust business and we need landlords, councils and brands to pull together to save House of Fraser on the high street.”