H&M which has a store in King's Lynn is due to close 250 stores

Swedish fashion retailer H&M which opened its multi-million pound shop in Lynn last year has announced it is closing 250 stores globally.

The closures are due to take place next year, although at present the retailer is not confirming which stores will be affected.

As with other retailers struggling through the Covid crisis, it has found more shoppers are moving online. The pandemic has impacted clothing and footwear businesses particularly hard.

Across the world, H&M has 5,000 stores and it is not yet known how many of its 300 UK stores will be affected.

Its pre-tax profits fell to £210 million for the nine months to August 31.

There was speculation over the future of the town centre shop earlier this year, after plans for the firm to shut 170 branches across Europe in 2020 were revealed. At the time a spokesman said there were no plans to shut the Lynn store.