A NEWPORT business is to close after nearly 60 years serving the city.

Men's and ladies family clothing store Morris Cowan, on Commercial Street, will shut by the end of May after failing to overcome financial trouble, according to director Gerald Cowan.

Mr Cowan, his brother Vivian and his late father Morris, built up a thriving retail company in the 1950s, with a Morris Cowan shop in Cardiff, on Queen Street and 'Baron of Piccadilly' in London, both of which have now closed.

The company also opened the Newport shop, around 1956 and was famous for its 'Baron Suit', which was hand-tailored in the Cardiff shop and some of their clients included famous boxer Joe Erskine and Lynn Jones the Olympic gold medalist, who had a free suit to celebrate and a cardboard cut-out of him in the window.

Mr Cowan is also a relative of the Borat and Ali G actor Sascha Baron Cohen. The family changed its name when it set up its shops because Morris felt the name Cowan sounded better than Cohen.

In the seventies, the Cowan family took over two other family businesses- Calders and Jothams Ltd, in the former Duke Street Arcade, as the Newport shop flourished.

"In those days Newport was thriving. It had the Llanwern steelworks and people used to come in from the Valleys," said Gerald Cowan.

Customers came from far and wide to shop at the Cowan Newport shop- even from abroad, to purchase quality brands of ladies and menswear.

These includes Barbour, Aquascutum, Van Heusen, Double Two and Viyella.

But Mr Cowan says the fact the clothes were so high quality was in the end, probably the business' downfall.

"Our clothes last for years- but some customers wait three of four years before they came back," he said.

"We have hung on for a long time trying to keep on going."

News of the closure comes just a month after another independent retailer, GM Music, announced it is moving to Newport Retail Park, Spytty after nearly 40 years in the city centre.

Mr Cowan believes Newport council could have revived the city on the back of the Ryder Cup and helped traders.

He said: "At the end of the day, rates are too high.

We have also had a lot of trouble with broken windows and had to put grilles up at the windows. There aren't enough places for our customers to park."

A spokeswoman for Newport council said...

All of the stock is now being cleared at half price or less by some of the staff who have worked there for more than 25 years.

The formal hire and bridal departments on the upper floors will remain open, along with Jazz hair salon at the back of the building.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "We are naturally disappointed when any retailer decides to leave the city centre.

"The council would like to point out that it does not set business rates or rents and has every sympathy with business people who are finding trading conditions difficult at this time.

Newport City Council and Newport Unlimited have made the city centre a priority and the council has introduced a number of initiatives to assist businesses."

She added plans to revitalise the city centre were progressing well after both the Friars Walk and Cambrian Centre schemes have recently won planning permission.