Edinburgh House of Fraser to close early

House of Fraser in Edinburgh's west end will close while the Jenners store will remain open

The Frasers department store on Princes Street in Edinburgh is to close earlier than expected.

It will now close on 15 September after the landlord served notice to quit.

House of Fraser had named the former Binn's shop at the bottom of Lothian Road as the only Scottish store to face closure, among 31 in total.

A statement from the retailer said all the staff who want to remain can be accommodated at the Jenners department store, also on Princes Street.

The future of the remaining shops, including Frasers in Buchanan Street Glasgow, remains in doubt while House of Fraser urgently seeks new finance.

Staff priority

A House of Fraser spokesman said: "The landlord of our Edinburgh Fraser's store has served us notice, which they are entitled to do under the terms of the approved CVA as one of the 31 stores earmarked for closure.

"House of Fraser is required to exit the store from the 30 September 2018. The last day of trading will be Saturday 15 September.

"Employees of the store and our concession partners have been informed of the earlier than anticipated closure and our priority is to support them through this process.

"We are pleased to confirm that our nearby store Edinburgh Jenners has capacity to take on the number of shop floor colleagues who have so far expressed a desire to transfer at the point the store closes.

"We would like to thank all the staff at Edinburgh Frasers for their commitment and hard work, with the store having played an important role in House of Fraser's story since 1953."