A MAJOR jewellery chain has abruptly closed a popular shopping centre branch – but it's not all bad news for customers.
Ernest Jones, which has more than 100 sites across the UK, shut its shop in Queensgate shopping centre, Peterborough earlier this month.
The store no longer appears on the Ernest Jones store locator too and its Facebook page states that it is permanently closed.
The Sun has contacted Ernst Jones for comment.
Shoppers will now find their nearest branch in Spalding Outlet.
Many fans took to social media to share their devastation following the announcement.
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One customer said: "Another nail in the Queengate's coffin! We will soon have no decent shops in there!"
Another added: "The decent shops have already departed and the present crop of survivors are just hanging on in despair."
And a third wrote: "Will probably turn into another takeaway."
But it's not all bad news, because Goldsmiths jewellers is set to move into the empty site, according to local news reports.
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The Sun has contacted the retailer for comment.
Goldsmiths has more than 90 showrooms across the country, including branches in Derby, Bristol, London and Crawley.
Other store closures
The cost of living crisis, stubbornly high inflation and energy costs are taking their toll on retailers.
Shoppers have been cutting back spending, while the cost of actually running a store has also increased, meaning some outlets have struggled to keep going.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) this summer found the UK had lost 6,000 stores over a five-year period.
Several major brands have also collapsed and closed stores for good.
DIY chain Homebase is closing two stores in November and a third in December.
Cineworld, Clarks, M&S and Tesco are also closing a handful of stores before the end of the year.
You can see the full list of stores closing this month in our guide.
You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.
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