A mobile phone operator will become the next brand to leave Bracknell’s £240m flagship shopping centre.
EE has announced that it will be permanently closing the doors to its store at The Lexicon later this month, having been a permanent fixture since the retail centre first opened in 2017.
The second largest mobile network operator in the UK, which was founded in 2010 and headquartered in London, has been part of the BT Group since 2015.
READ MORE: Fatal crash at London Road junction - drink-driving arrest made
A sign on the shop door thanked people for their “custom over the years” as it prepares to close permanently on September 18. However, it will maintain shops in Reading and Windsor.
A spokesperson for EE confirmed that the store will be closing on that date but did not respond to questions about the company’s reasons for doing so.
“Customers can still experience the most personal and local service in our stores in Camberley and Windsor,” they added.
READ MORE: Bracknell church service to celebrate The Queen’s life
The Lexicon opened as part of a wider regeneration project in the town, which saw a third of the centre demolished.
This is the most recent departure from the shopping facility, following the closure of women’s clothes retailer Seasalt Cornwall in August and several other shops not re-opening post pandemic.
The Argos store located in Princess Square, which was one of the complex’s big brands, has been permanently closed due since the pandemic and is yet to be re-located.
Other retailers that no longer have a presence at The Lexicon include Home, Top Shop, Top Man, Carphone Warehouse, Burton and Dorothy Perkins, Patisserie Valerie, Jack Wills, Hayes Travel, I Broke My Gadget, Peacocks and Silent Night – which was fitted out but never opened.
READ MORE: Wokingham plan to build new 65-bed care home
A spokesperson for The Lexicon said the latest closure is part of EE’s “wider strategy of consolidating its stores” across the UK and emphasised that “over 90 per cent” of retail and leisure space at The Lexicon is currently let and they are “in discussions” with companies about the remaining outlets.
“We have recently welcomed a series of new arrivals to The Lexicon and we hope to announce more exciting new additions in due course,” they added.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here