SHOPPERS and town business leaders expressed their sadness this week after the Edinburgh Woollen Mill store in Tavistock displayed ‘closing down sale’ signs in its windows.

The much-loved store which has been on the high street for 14 years is under threat after the news emerged that the firm had called in administrators.

The company — which also owns Peacocks, Jaeger, Ponden Mill and Austin Reed — employs 24,000 people. It wrote to staff informing them of the situation last Friday and says the Covid-19 situation has impacted on sales nationwide.

Shoppers to the Edinburgh Woollen Mill in Tavistock, who treat the six staff members like friends and family, said they were devastated at the news, with many in tears.

Rosemary Turner said the staff were wonderful with her mum who came to visit her in Tavistock; ‘I am absolutely gutted. I am a regular but I always remember bringing my mum here. The staff were always so wonderful and kind to my mum, nothing was too much trouble. She always came to the shop when she came to Tavistock.’

Tavistock BID manager Janna Sanders said: ‘We are really saddened by the closure of our Edinburgh Woollen Mill branch.

‘The chain is a much-loved part of the high street and we had hoped that it could be saved.

‘Trading conditions are very hard at present and this is a poignant reminder of why we need to get into town and support the businesses that we depend on.’

EWM chief executive Steve Simpson said that like every other retailer, the firm had found the past seven months of coronavirus restrictions extremely difficult.

He said they had applied in court ‘for a short breathing space to assess our options before moving to appoint administrators’.

‘Through this process I hope and believe we will be able to secure the best future for our businesses, but there will inevitably be significant cuts and closures as we work our way through this.’