The final 11 Beales department stores, including the branch in Fareham Shopping Centre which opened in November, are set to shut, putting hundreds of jobs at risk. Suella visited the department store over the weekend in attempt to seek assurances that jobs would be protected following the proposed closure. The store has created over 30 jobs and Suella remarked that it will be a great shame if individuals are let go and is writing to the Beales’ administrators to identify what will happen in the event of closure.
The MP for Fareham objects to the closure, as for many it has been a vital centre for shopping in the local area. Furthermore, the store has only been open since November the 8th 2019. In fact, Beales’ owner and chief executive, Tony Brown told The Portsmouth News at the time it would bring him 'great pleasure' to open the new branch - as he is a ‘local boy’ with wider family living in Gosport. For this reason, Suella laments the decision and has stated that the closure is disappointing news.
Commenting Suella stated:
‘I visited Beales this weekend. I am disappointed that, despite only opening here in Fareham very recently and initially excluded from the list of stores marked for closure, the Fareham branch is now set to close. I will do all I can to find alternatives to closure and ensure that the staff are supported in any event.’
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