Frasers Group shutters Edinburgh’s Jenners store

Frasers Group has announced it will permanently close Edinburgh’s iconic Jenners store after the company failed to reach an agreement with the site’s landlord over continuing the tenancy.

A spokesman for the group said the decision came after negotiations fell through with the building’s owner, Anders Povlsen, the current owner of international retail chain Bestseller and a significant stakeholder in Asos.

Jenners, situated in Edinburgh’s Princes Street, has operated out of the Scottish capital for the last 180 years.

Some 200 jobs are set to be lost in the store’s closure, which is slated for 3 May 2021.

The department store was sold to the Al-Fayed family, the then-owners of House of Fraser and Harrods, back in 2005.

Despite being considered part of the House of Fraser family of stores, Jenners was allowed to keep its identity due to it being a staple of Edinburgh retail.

Since August 2018, House of Fraser has been owned by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, after being acquired by the group in a pre-pack administration deal.

A Frasers Group spokesperson said: “Despite the global pandemic, numerous lockdowns and the turbulence caused for British retail, the landlord hasn’t been able to work mutually on a fair agreement, therefore, resulting in the loss of 200 jobs and a vacant site for the foreseeable future with no immediate plans.

“Our commitment to our Frasers strategy remains but landlords and retailers need to work together in a fair manner, especially when all stores are closed.”