High street clothing shop Gap will close 19 shops across the UK and Ireland by the end of July.

A spokeswoman for Gap said: “We are proposing to close 19 Gap stores in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that have leases ending at the end of July 2021. These leases are not being extended due to the strategic review that we have under way.”

It has not yet been revealed which of the stores will be closing and how many jobs will be lost. Even though the entire chain isn’t shutting completely, there has been no insight into what will happen to the remaining 50 or so stores located across the UK and Ireland.

Gap have been one of many brands affected by the Coronavirus crisis within the last 2 years, creating a huge loss of revenue and customers. The retailer reported a £740m loss in the three months to May alone. They have also fallen victim to losing their younger audience to other brands such as ASOS, Pretty Little Thing, and Boohoo.

“These leases are not being extended due to the strategic review that we have under way. We believe in the power of [the] Gap brand internationally. We are keen to maintain a presence in Europe. While we continue to look at different operating models for our UK and ROI business, customers may continue shopping Gap online or at one of our other 50+ Gap stores,” Gap added.

The closure of these 19 stores will add to the list of other chain high street shops or outlets shutting down – including Debenhams, Topshop, Burton, Oasis, and Warehouse, among many others. 

Stores such as Marks & Spencer remain open but announced last month they were planning to close 30 more stores as Coronavirus hit their clothing and home sales. Many experts have said that this pandemic has been the worst time recorded for retail.