Animal confirms when its Weymouth town centre store will close

The surfing-inspired shop, situated on St Mary Street, has been based within the town centre for a number of years.

The brand has struggled in recent years as the company’s owners told staff it was losing money and attempts to save or sell it had been unsuccessful.

H Young announced the fashion chain will close down by the end of January 2021 "as a result of the extremely challenging retail market which has now further worsened due to COVID-19."

Its Weymouth branch now appears to be winding down ahead of its closure on Sunday, November 1.

A spokeswoman for Animal said: "Unfortunately, Animal as a company is going to cease trading as of the end of January 2021.

"The business will then slowly start to close stores over the coming months as well as the online store.

"The Weymouth store will be closing on Sunday, November 1." 

Animal has been based within Weymouth town centre for a number of years

It is understood the branch will hold a closing down sale with some store display  stock already being sold to customers. 

The closure of Animal will come as a blow to this section of St Mary Street with a number of shut shops and store units currently available to let.

Claudia Webb, chief operations officer at Weymouth BID, was saddened by the news and hoped the store would be replaced with another business as soon as possible. 

She said: "We are to sorry to hear about Animal closing and wish the staff the very best of luck for the future.

"It’s a prime location for a business so hopefully the unit will be filled before long, as others have been recently."

Animal, headquartered in Poole, was launched in 1987 by two surfers, Ian Elliot and Nigel Broughton. They originally sold a single product, a hook-and-loop watch strap.

The business expanded into menswear in 1996 and today has 29 stores and 236 stockists selling its fashions, surfing gear and accessories. It was bought by the supplier and distributor H Young Holdings in 1999.

H Young holdings turned over £217.65million in 2018 and made a profit after tax of £9.94m.

St Mary Street, Weymouth town centre

A statement from H Young said earlier this year: "As a result of the extremely challenging retail market which has now further worsened due to Covid-19, H Young announces it will be closing its Animal business by the end of January 2O21.

"This will obviously be a very sad announcement for all Animal's hardworking employees and its loyal customers.

“ln this period Animal will continue trading through its stores and its website and its clothing will also be available through its distributors.

"Finally we would like to thank everyone for all their support over these many years."

What are your thoughts on this? Are you sad to see Animal close down? Are businesses struggling in this area and generally around the town centre? Send me your thoughts at michael.taylor@newsquest.co.uk