O2 to close Barrow town centre phone shop

The O2 mobile phone shop in Barrow is due to close after the company said it had reviewed its stores across the country.

The company, which has more than 300 branches across the country, said it had taken in a 'number of factors' when deciding to close the store in Portland Walk.

It followed a period of consultation.

The forthcoming closure means another national chain will depart Barrow after a turbulent few years for the town centre.

Nearby lies the empty former Wilko store, which closed earlier this month after the homeware chain went into administration.

Portland Walk has also seen the closure of brands including Topshop, River Island and Pandora in recent years.

The O2 shop is due to close on October 14.

Explaining the closure, an O2 spokesman said: “To ensure we deliver the great service O2 customers expect in a competitive environment, we sometimes need to evaluate how our business operates, including reviewing our store estate.

"Having taken a number of factors into consideration, and following a consultation period, we have taken the decision to close the store in Barrow-in-Furness next month.”

The O2 shop in Barrow's Portland Walk (Image: Google Maps)

The nearby former Debenhams has been empty since 2021 and is due to undergo a major transformation to form a new training and recruitment hub for BAE. 

The project will see new life breathed into the adjacent former WH Smith and Body Shop stores.

The units will form a new hub, including a visitor experience and a space for companies to temporarily station themselves to recruit new staff.  

BAE hopes the project will regenerate the area and provide a boost to footfall, with at least 300 people using the training facility every day.

Project manager Catherine Reay said the company had been offered more shops nearby but had declined to purchase them, hoping instead the project would lift the town.

Barrow's MP Simon Fell said the development could be 'game-changing' for the town centre.

Across the street from the former Debenhams, Expressions, a jewellery, giftware and piercing studio will be moving to a larger unit from its previous base in Dalton Road.

A new Greggs is due to open on Portland Walk in place of the former Thornton's Cafe.