Fashion retailer USC to shut Falkirk Howgate doors in June

The branded clothing and footwear chain, which occupies unit 13 in the High Street shopping centre, has given no reason for the store closure.

The company, which is part of Mike Ashley's Frasers Group, refused to comment when approached.

However, when asked about the premises, a spokesperson for the Howgate Shopping Centre said: "It's hard not to miss the closing down signs, they're bright yellow and the size of the entire shop window. It says there's a 20 per cent discount, and the store will be closing in June."

The news would be further blow for the Howgate, which has seen a string of departures in recent times. Superdrug, and River Island both vacated their units in the centre earlier this year. With customers now directed to the Superdrug branch at Falkirk Central Retail Park.

The Falkirk closure mirrors what is happening at USC's outlet in Dundee's Overgate Shopping Centre, where the store has also launched a closing-down sale with 20 per cent off full-price items ahead of a June closure.

USC has been a fixture in the Howgate Shopping Centre for a number of years, the retailer was founded in Edinburgh back in 1989 before being taken over by Frasers Group in 2011.

No exact June closing date has been confirmed for the Falkirk USC, and it remains unclear whether any staff redundancies would result from the closure. USC's parent company did not respond to requests for further information.