Reaction as Stroud Halfords to close

The store, which is located in the Five Valleys Shopping Centre, is due to shut its doors in October.

The company then plans to vacate the unit by November.

An exact closing date, however, has not yet been announced.

Mr Davey said: “Firstly, I hope the local staff will be relocated to other branches or supported to find other employment locally. 

“It will be sad to see a business that has been part of the retail landscape in Stroud leave after so long. 

“Halfords has experienced challenges faced by many national chains and has, for some time, been closing stores in town centres like ours in favour of out-of-town units where rents can often be much less. 

“Stroud appears to be one of the last in the area to undergo these changes.

“The loss of Halfords will be the gain of other, local businesses, where we are fortunate to have a number that provide similar services within a reasonable distance. 

“I hope a new tenant will be secured, soon after their departure, that will bring a diversity of offerings to the town.”

A Halfords spokesperson said yesterday: “We can confirm the Halfords store in Five Valleys Shopping Centre, Stroud is due to close and staff are aware of the closure. 

“Customers will still be able to purchase from Halfords.com. 

“We are working hard to support all of those affected.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Dransfield Properties, which owns Five Valleys Shopping Centre said: “Halfords are coming out of their unit in November.

"We are currently in talks with three different retailers to take this space.

"Once an occupier is chosen this will lead to a net increase in jobs for the area.”

The national retailer, which has around 750 stores across the UK, also services cars and bikes and offers MOTs. 

In the last few days rumours had been circulating on social media about the Stroud branch's potential closure. 

The nearest Halfords stores to Stroud are located in Gloucester and Cheltenham