Highstreet shops may close

Dec 5 2008 by Craig Robertson, Dumfries Standard Friday

DUMFRIES High Street could be set for another blow with two shops facing closer.

Klick Photopoint and Munro Cleaners might shut for good after their parent company went into administration. Around 10 workers are employed at the units.

The news follows last weeks revelation that retail giant Woolworths was edging towards closure in the face of mounting debts. Klick and Munro are sited opposite Woolworths in the centre of Dumfries.

The demise in profits of their parent company, Bowie Castlebank Group, has been put down to the rise in popularity of digital photography.

Blair Nimmo and Tony Friar, of KPMG Restructuring, were appointed as joint administrators of the company this week and painted a bleak picture of the likelihood of keeping the business afloat.

Mr Nimmo said: “It is with regret that we have had to make substantial redundancies across Bowie Castlebank’s operations and we are currently working with Government agencies to ensure the employees’ issues are dealt with as quickly as possible. At the same time we are marketing the business in an attempt to secure a sale of some of the stores or operations as a going concern.”

Customers who currently have photos with either Klick or Max Spielman for development or have garments with Munro’s for cleaning, are advised to return to their local store as quickly as possible to retrieve these items.