Closing down signs have appeared at a long-standing Peacocks store.

The clothing retailer's two-storey unit in Ashford looks set to join the likes of fellow big name firms such as River Island, Debenhams and M&S in leaving the town.

It comes as Peacocks owners Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) prepare to pull the shutters down on 50 of its stores nationwide.

Last week the group, which also owns brands including Bonmarché and Jaeger, revealed it was on the brink off calling in administrators.

Now, closing down sale signs have been put up in the window of the large Peacocks branch in Ashford's County Square shopping centre.

Bosses at EWM wrote to staff earlier this month, with chief executive Steve Simpson saying: “Like every retailer, we have found the past seven months extremely difficult.

“This situation has grown worse in recent weeks as we have had to deal with a series of false rumours about our payments and trading which have impacted our credit insurance.

“Traditionally, EWM has always traded with strong cash reserves and a conservative balance sheet, but these stories, the reduction in credit insurance, against the backdrop of the lockdown and now this second wave of Covid-19, and all the local lockdowns, have made normal trading impossible.

“As directors, we have a duty to the business, our staff, our customers and our creditors to find the very best solution in this brutal environment."

The retailer has been approached for comment.

In positive retail news for Ashford, the nearby former Bonmarché unit was last week filled by a new addition to the town, Cards Direct.

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