Brighthouse to shut 30 stores - here is the full list

A retailer is set to shut 30 shops and cut 350 jobs... but stores in Essex have escaped closure.

Brighthouse, a rent-to-own business, is shutting the stores amid the changing face of the High Street and a clampdown on rent-to-own retailers.

The firm has stores in Colchester, Basildon and Southend.

About 10% of its estate will close over the next two months.

Brighthouse, which employs about 3,000 people, said it had informed staff and would work to redeploy them where possible.

In its most recent results for the six months to September 19, the firm reported pre-tax losses of £22.1m.

Meanwhile, the Financial Conduct Authority last year announced plans to cap the amount of interest that rent-to-own retailers charge customers.

Rent-to-own customers make monthly payments on a product such as a cooker or a television until they have paid in full.

The authority has ruled that from April, the maximum interest paid will be no more than the cost of the product itself.

The full list of store closures:

Brighthouse to shut 30 stores - but Essex shops live to fight another day