A CLOTHES shop will close its doors for the last time early in the new year.

Marks & Spencer, in Ebbw Vale's Festival Park outlet, will not renew its lease and staff will be re-assigned to other stores.

This follows Marks & Spencers (M&S) review of the lease, taking various factors into consideration.

Following the evaluation, it was decided that keeping the Ebbw Vale store open is 'no longer viable.'

M&S Head of Region for South Wales, John Turner, said: "The decision not to renew our lease and close our Festival Park Ebbw Vale Outlet was a difficult one to make.

"There is a role for all our colleagues at nearby M&S stores and we’ll be speaking to everyone individually about what is best for them."

The date of the shop closing is currently unconfirmed, but it will be early next year.

Blaenau Gwent MP, Nick Smith, was emailed by the company, informed that the store’s 19 members of staff will be offered redeployment to other M&S stores.

Mr Smith said: “I am extremely disappointed by this decision, which is a terrible blow for affected staff and for Festival Park, where it seemed to be a popular destination for shoppers.

“I wrote to the company to seek clarification on how many members of staff are expected to take up the offer of redeployment and whether the company will be working with the DWP to offer help to those who do not or cannot take up the offer of working elsewhere.

“I have received a response which states that although it is too early for the company to know how many members of staff will take up jobs elsewhere the store has ‘a good track record in providing support to colleagues and facilitating redeployment to other M&S stores’.

“Marks & Spencers have told me they will keep me up to date on developments in the coming weeks.”

The closest M&S stores to the one in Ebbw Vale include one in Merthyr Tydfil's Cyfarthfa Retail Park, and one on South Walk in Cwmbran, although there are also shops further afield.