FASHION chain French Connection has closed at Oxford’s Clarendon Centre.

The closure leaves Queen Street, which received a major boost in footfall from the opening of the Westgate Centre in 2017, looking tatty at the Carfax end.

Oxford Mail:

French Connection’s shop window has now been boarded up with closed signs.

READ AGAIN: Customers queue for TK Maxx opening at the Clarendon Centre

On the other side of the street the former Primark store remains boarded up but fashion chain Fat Face is planning to take it over.

It appears there are no takers yet for the former Jones Bootmakers store, which remains covered in advertising for the Covered Market.

READ AGAIN: Gap in Oxford to close for major revamp

While the closure of French Connection is a blow for the Clarendon Centre it has recently welcomed an influx of new customers calling in to try out the new discount designer clothes store TK Maxx, which replaced Spanish chain Zara, which relocated to Westgate.

Oxford Mail:

American clothing chain Gap at the Clarendon Centre has also undergone a revamp, turning itself into an outlet store.

Although French Connection has closed, fashion chain H&M retains a large store at the centre, and also has a branch at the Westgate Centre.

French Connection rose to prominence with its notorious FCUK T-shirt slogan in the 1990s but has struggled in recent years.

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It said in March like-for-like store sales fell 6.8 per cent in the year to January 31, with sales from its websites down 3.7 per cent.

Oxford Mail:

Stephen Marks, the chairman and chief executive who created the brand in 1972, said earlier this year difficult trading conditions on the UK high street were weighing on sales.

However, French Connection, which last year put itself up for sale, made a small underlying pre-tax profit of £100,000.

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It was its first full-year profit in seven years – compared with a £2.1m loss the previous year. Mr Marks said the company had closed 10 stores and concessions last year, but had managed to keep a further four stores open that had been expected to close because some landlords were becoming more ‘flexible’ on terms at the end of leases.

Oxford Mail:

The company built up about 90 standalone stores and concessions.

Clarendon Centre manager Ginny Fellows confirmed the French Connection closure and said another retailer would be taking its place.

She said: “While it’s a shame to see French Connection go, this new retailer will be a great addition to the range of shops here.”

Footfall is up at the centre since TK Maxx opened.

The former Crabtree and Evelyn beauty products store in Queen Street has also closed.