FAMOUS retailer Top Shop will be closing its High Street store and will leave Southend.

Top Shop and Top Man are the latest in a growing list of retailers to announce their departure from the town.

They will cease trading on Saturday, June 16 due to “landlord redevelopment”. According to a spokeswoman for the store, the High Street giant will “endeavour to offer current staff other employment options”.

It comes as a devastating blow for Southend High Street. Last week Argos, which has been at the Victoria Shopping Centre since the 1970s, announced it was moving into the nearby Sainsbury’s store in July and the unit would close.

The loss of Top Shop means there will be a host of empty shops stretching between WH Smiths at the top of the High Street and along to the railway bridge.

Other shops in Southend are also feeling the strain of changing times.

Laurence Mathews art shop, which is located on nearby Queens Road, is an independent store which has been in Southend for 73 years.

Co-owner Kevin Franklyn said: “It’s becoming more and more difficult for us.

“With the loss of Top Shop, it means less footfall for businesses like ours.

“And Southend Council have just put up the parking charges, which is horrendous. “They are not looking after independent shops. And to top it all, the business rates have just gone up.”

Mr Franklyn, 52, from Rayleigh, also blames a lack of town centre customers on the number of “undesirable people” about.

“It’s putting some people off from coming into Southend- like mums with pushchairs. “There is no police presence.

“Southend is in decline, it’s such a depressed area compared to Chelmsford. Most shopkeepers down Queen Street feel like us.

“We don’t want to close, but you can only sustain a business for so long before you are forced to close. If this carries on, there won’t be any shops left in Southend.”

Top Shop shares its building with JD Sports, who were unavailable for an official comment on whether they too might be forced to close. But an employee at the Southend branch of the sports clothing chain, who was unaware of any impending closure, said it didn’t necessarily spell bad news for her employers.

“There may be even more customers, as men who would have shopped at Top Man would use us instead,” she said.

“Men don’t now have too many options for shopping on Southend High Street.”

Dawn Jeakins, chairman of Southend Business Improvement District, which represents town centre businesses, said: “There are several new businesses opening in and around the town centre so some good news following such sad news especially for the staff.”

A spokeswoman for Top Shop said that at this point, they don’t have another site in Southend, and the nearest store for Southend residents is in Basildon, although shoppers can go online.