ANOTHER business in Saltcoats has closed its doors for the last time.

Shoe Zone in the town's Dockhead Street will not be operating in 2023, with the store now being visibly cleared out.

The planned closure was clear for customers to see throughout December, with a 'closing down sale' advertised in the run up to Christmas.

It was apparent that their closure was imminent throughout the month of December, with a closing down sale advertised during this period.

Signs have now been put up in the shop front confirming that the retailer will not reopen - while people could be seen inside the building earlier this week, removing stock, fixtures and fittings from the interior.

The Saltcoats store's closure means there is now only one Shoe Zone store left in Ayrshire - in Kilmarnock, 15 miles away.

The nearest dedicated shoe shop for Saltcoats shoppers is C.Y. Neilly in New Street, Stevenston.

The Herald approached Shoe Zone for clarification on whether staff had been made redundant or if they would be kept on at other stores. They were yet to respond at the time of writing.

The premises do not yet appear to have been advertised online for sale or least.

Shoe Zone has more than 400 stores across the UK and Ireland and the company, which has its head office in Leicester, employs around 2,500 people.

The company returned a loss in 2020 for the first time in 15 years, but was back in the black the following year, and said in January 2022 that the company was once again profitable.