CREWE'S town centre has taken another blow with the announcement of the permanent closure of its Burton and Dorothy Perkins outlet.

The news comes after online retailer Boohoo bought the brands along with Wallis from Philip Green's failed Arcadia group for £25.2m.

Administrators Deloitte said around 2,450 staff will lose their jobs and the stores - including the Crewe shop in Market Street - would permanently close.

Other Arcadia brands, including Topshop, which had a store in Queensway, was sold off to Asos last week to suffer a similar fate.

Staff were informed of the closure of all the stores over the course of today (Monday). The Crewe branch has been closed under lockdown rules since January 5.

It is the latest move by major online companies to reshape the shopping experience for clothes and fashion. Boohoo also bought Debenhams this month which has led to the closure of the famous brand's 125 stores, including those in nearby retail centres at Chester (Browns of Chester) and the Potteries Shopping Centre in Hanley.

The gaping gaps created on the British high street by such online acquisitions show the challenges faced finding new retailers willing to come in or considering alternative uses to regenerate hard-hit shopping centres.

They will be particularly evident in Crewe at at time when the demolition work on Queensway and Victoria Street to pave the way for the Royal Arcade development has turned numerous other former shopping units into rubble.

While the Royal Arcade has a significant leisure usage, with two anchor units reserved for a cinema and a bowling alley, artists impressions and video clips released by Cheshire East Council suggest it will need to attract large retailers too at a time when some of the UK's major names, like Burton, are fading into history.