Booted out: Old Clarks storefront demolished
WORKS CLEARS THE WAY FOR
DEMOLITION crews have laid into parts of the former shoe shop near Leicester’s Clock Tower as work continues to create a new bank.
The Clarks store on the corner of Humberstone Gate closed in 2019 and the Body Shop next door shut the following January.
Both are being replaced by a new branch of Metro Bank, which is now under construction.
With the walls demolished, passersby can see right through the first floor of the building, which is on the corner of the Haymarket shopping centre.
The building work is expected to continue until November.
Both Clarks and the Body Shop now have stores in the Highcross shopping centre.
In a statement about the move last year, The Body Shop said: “As a retailer we are continually reviewing our retail estate across the UK.
“The closure of the Leicester Clock
Tower store is a the result of The Body Shop taking the opportunity of a lease expiry to consolidate our investment in a single store in Leicester.
“Some time ago we entered in to a contract with Metro Bank, who have obtained planning consent for this location, to vacate after Christmas 2019.
“We will continue trade in Leicester Highcross. It is always our hope to retain talent and secure alternative employment within the business and following consultation with all employees we were able to successfully redeploy six out of eight employees within The Body Shop stores.”
Clarks had been due to open its Highcross store last spring, but it was delayed by the pandemic, opening in the summer of last year.