Jack Wills shop in Stamford High Street to remain open

A shop which was set to close on Sunday (September 27) will remain open after a lease disagreement was settled.

Employees at clothing store Jack Wills in Stamford High Street have begun to restock after surprise news that they would no longer face redundancy.

Ella Perkins, store manager, explained that they had been all set to close because a new lease on the building hadn't been negotiated - but agreement had then been reached at the eleventh hour. It followed a closing down sale.

“It’s been a pretty big transition because people thought we were pretty much closed," said 21-year-old Ella.

“Now we’ve got to spread the word that we are remaining open."

After announcing the closure in August, hundreds of customers came along to bag a bargain in the clearance sales.

“The first week, when we put up the leaving posters, it was very busy," Ella added. “The turnover was crazy.

“In the past week it’s died down because we didn’t have the products people wanted, and many thought we would be closed.

“But it's been nice to discover so many people are happy that we are staying open.”

Ella is concerned that Government coronavirus rules- which now include compulsory face masks in shops and the closure of changing rooms - is deterring people from visiting the high street and instead directing customers online.

She said: “Places are shutting because not enough people are shopping on the high street - they don’t bother any more.

“A lot of people used to come to try on things but now they don’t want to buy it if they can’t try it on, and we’ve had many refunds.”

Ella encouraged people to visit the Stamford branch - which has been open for four years - to see the new stock.