Branch of book and craft shop closes

A DISCOUNT retail chain is calling time on one of its Middlesbrough stores.

The Works has confirmed it will be shutting the doors of its Coulby Newham shop. The retailer, which sells discount books, craft and art supplies and stationery, took over the Parkway Shopping Centre unit in June 2018 when it replaced the Brighthouse store.

There are seven branches of The Works across the region, with the chain opening its latest venue at Teesside Retail Park towards the end of last year. There are also branches in Middlesbrough town centre, Stockton, Hartlepool and Darlington.

Shoppers saw ‘closing down’ posters in the windows of The Works at The Parkway Centre on Monday. One person said shelves at the back of the store were already empty.

Now, a spokesperson for the company has confirmed the shop will drop the shutters for one last time on Thursday, July 6.

No jobs will be lost, as all staff members at the Coulby Newham store will now be working at other nearby The Works branches.

The shopping centre saw shoe shop Shoezone close in June last year. It is not yet known whether the shopping centre has a new retailer lined up for the unit.

A spokesperson for The Works said: “We review our store portfolio on a regular basis and have made the decision to close our Coulby Newham store after close of trade on 6 July.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this closure and would like to thank customers for shopping at The Works over the years.

“We have been able to redeploy all colleagues from Coulby Newham to local stores and hope that customers continue to shop with us at our nearby stores in Teesside Shopping Centre, Middlesbrough or online at theworks.co.uk.”

The Gazette has contacted the Parkway Shopping Centre for comment.