A STORE in Amersham is to close next month – less than a year after opening.

General retailer alworths, which welcomed its first customers on November 12 last year, will shut on September 12 after it said the landlord of the building served notice to vacate the premises.

The firm is looking for new premises in the town but has so far not been able to find anything suitable.

He added: “All members of our staff have been consulted and we are actively trying to liaise with the incoming retailer to maximise any redeployment opportunities for our team affected by the closure.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team in Amersham for their hard work and dedication over the last ten months, resulting in a very successful period of time for us.

"I would also like to thank all of our Amersham customers who have thoroughly embraced alworths, which makes this situation even more disappointing.”

The Amersham branch, in Sycamore Road, was the second alworths to open in Britain after one opened in Didcot.

It was set up to take over from Woolworths, after the popular high street retailer went into administration in 2008.

Research suggests more than 300 former Woolworths stores are still empty.