THE multi-million pound revamp of the town centre 'cannot come soon enough' after the loss of another retailer.

Furness Home Interiors is the latest shopping outlet in Barrow to reveal it is shutting its Portland Walk premises.

The furniture shop follows Debenhams, Topshop, River Island, Pandora and Thorntons who have already vacated the section of town in recent years.

Body Shop and WHSmith will also be leaving Portland Walk later this month.

Simon Fell, MP for Barrow and Furness, described the loss of another retailer on Portland Walk as 'disappointing' but 'understandable'.

He said: "This is really disappointing news, but understandable sadly.

"The revamp of the town centre that will come through the £25million Town Deal and the £16million Levelling Up Fund can’t come soon enough.

"But ultimately parking and business rates are going to be the two factors that really make a difference.

"I’ll continue to lobby the Chancellor for Business Rate reform, and to ask the council to think again about the best way to attract people into town at affordable rates."

Colin Garnett, Barrow BID manager, said town centre shopping has 'changed' - and high business rates are deterring retailers from moving in.

He said: ""We all know that Portland Walk has been devastated by closures in the past 12 months and the impending closures of Furness Home Interiors, WH Smiths and Body Shop will leave a huge hole in the retail core of the town.

"One of the main issues of the Portland Walk retail units is their rateable value, which is based on past footfall and the historic value of the properties.

"As a BID we are enthused that the Government are seeking to tackle business rates and went some way to levelling the playing field with online businesses.

"The problem is that where their business rates reduction, outlined in the last budget (October 2021), might have been good for all bricks and mortar businesses, it didn’t address the fact that properties within the retail core of towns are still paying higher business rates than properties on the outskirts or outside of town centres.

"Until a full re-evaluation of properties is undertaken retail core properties aren’t an affordable option to independent shops and businesses.

"Town centre shopping has changed and towns are having to reinvent themselves with a mix of retail, leisure, hospitality, offices and residential."