WH Smith is set to permanently close one of its high street stores in Oxford as its revenue continues to plummet in the latest lockdown.

The British retailer, which sells books, stationery and gifts, revealed it will shut its branch in Cowley Centre.

WH Smith confirmed the rumours that the store will close in March when the lease expires, after one Cowley resident shared a picture of the shop that has displayed flashy '75 per cent off sale' and 'closing down' signs on its windows.

A spokesperson for the retailer commented: "Unfortunately, we are unable to continue to trade viably from this location and the decision has been taken to close the store as a result of the forthcoming lease expiry.

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"As one of the largest supporters of the UK high street, we are disappointed to be losing our presence in Cowley and we would like to thank all our customers for their support and for shopping with us.

"We are also extremely grateful for the commitment of our in store colleagues who we will support with this transition and redeploy to nearby stores, where possible."

A number of people in Oxford commented on Facebook that this is an 'end of an era' for the branch, however, many were not surprised.

One user Sarah Waugh said: "It is very sad, but to be quite honest I am surprised it has stayed open this long.

"It is so expensive compared to Wilko, Poundland, B&M and Amazon."

Another Keith Turner pointed out the retailer has not been the same since it stopped selling DVDs and computer games.