HIGH street shops in Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven remain “vulnerable” to the tough economic climate, business chiefs have warned, following news that Alexandria’s M&Co store is to close.

Damon Scott, chief executive of Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce, called on the public and governments to intervene in a bid to “save” the country's high streets and breathe new life into the retail sector as businesses continue to struggle amid a challenging economic climate.

Alexandria’s store on Mitchell Way and the nearby Helensburgh branch are among the 170 M&Co stores which will close around Easter, with almost 2,000 jobs lost.

Mr Scott told the Reporter: “It is always awful to hear about business closures and job losses in our local towns.

"Unfortunately, the retail sector has been under pressure for some years now and some, like M&Co., have not managed to re-position their offering quickly enough with the pressures Covid and the war in Ukraine have added.

“Our wonderful high street businesses have worked incredibly hard to serve our communities despite this challenging environment but that they remain extremely vulnerable as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

"This sad news reaffirms the need to back our local businesses and to continue schemes like the Scottish Government-funded “Loves Local” campaign to help encourage our communities to choose local first.”

Mr Scott continued: “Local businesses make an amazing impact to create jobs, develop skills and employability and to keep spend circulating in our local economies.

"We need governments across all levels to look at a number of meaningful interventions to save our high streets and breathe new life into the beating heart of our communities – from new funding for our Shop Local campaigns to additional rates relief in line with that which businesses in England and Wales are entitled to in the coming year.”

Renfrewshire-based M&Co has been bought by AK Retail Holdings, which owns brands such as Long Tall Sally and Yours Truly, but the sale did not include the stores themselves.

M&Co appointed administrators for a second time in December 2022, having also fallen into administration in August 2020.

Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton's constituency MSP, said: “The loss of M&Co to the community of Alexandria is desperately sad.

“This unit occupies prime retail space which may be difficult to fill and the closure means that local people will sadly be out of work.

"This is a bitter blow, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis.

“I hope that the staff are given the support they need to find work quickly.”