LOCALS are devastated after a beloved department store has announced its closure leaving the high street "disgracefully empty".
The shop had been a go to for residents to buy home, electric and fashion essentials for the past three years.
Beales in Southport is holding a "everything must go sale" before it shuts its doors in September.
In a Facebook post announcing the sad news, locals shared their disappointment.
One person wrote: "Thats a shame, we always go in when we are visiting southport, will be another large store empty."
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A second added: "I’m not surprised - I had high hopes and was very disappointed. "
"Dark, gloomy shop selling old fashioned, poor quality and frumpy clothes. I’m amazed it lasts as long as it did," said a third.
A fourth wrote: "No point in visiting southport no more it's is a disgrace!"
The store housed several local businesses including Remedy at Beales, Baby Love, Lucy Lou’s Boutique, Plaza Cards and more.
Lucy Lou’s Boutique owners Gill and Lucy Harper posted a video saying: “Unfortunately we are bring you a little bit of sad news.
“Beales store on Lord Street is closing in September. It does have a closing down sale on at the moment.
“We are staying there until September.
“Obviously this is completely out of our control. We are obviously gutted the store is closing and that Lord Street is losing another high street store.
“We are sad but we are turning it into a positive.
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“It is going to give us more time to focus more time on our Churchtown branch and our Penwortham branch and of course our website.
“We are still here, don’t worry, we are staying in Beales on Lord Street until around September time so you can still shop there.
“We just want to thank everyone who has shopped at our Beales concession while it is there and while it is still there and thank you for all your support.”
The Beales department store building had been home to a department store for the past 135 years, with the building carrying signs saying ‘Beales, formerly Broadbents & Boothroyds’.
It follows a string of closures in and around Southport.
Argos confirmed the closure of its store in the Meols Cop retail park in Merseyside,
Sainsbury's, who owns Argos, confirmed the news to The Sun.
And Poundland in Ellesmere Port closed on February 11.
A spokesperson for the discount store said: "The Ellesmere Port store sadly hasn’t met our trading expectations despite all our efforts.
"While we know how disappointing this will be to colleagues, we expect to be able to find roles for them at nearby stores such as Bromborough and Chester."
