A menswear shop in Bradford city centre is the latest to close its doors, delivering another blow to the High Street and one of two shops closing on the same day.

Moss Bros, at 7 Darley Street, has had a city centre presence for around ten years, but rising rents and falling business are understood to be behind the decision to close its doors.

Today is its last day – and Superdrug on Broadway also closes today.

Moss Bros has more than 130 stores nationwide and it is not known if any others are closing. It is also understood that just two of the six staff in the shop will be employed elsewhere by the company, while four have lost their jobs.

It is understood the decision to close was passed to staff just two weeks ago and a major factor was believed to be that rents were going up.

Economic circumstances and the success of internet shopping are also being blamed for the closure.

Meanwhile, Superdrug’s branch closure means that out of the 16 shop units on Broadway, only six are now occupied. A statement released by Superdrug when that closure was announced said: “We can confirm that the store in Broadway, Bradford, is proposed to close on June 15.

“We are in consultation with our store colleagues, where we are looking at opportunities for colleagues to move to other roles within the group. We would like to thank all our customers in Bradford for their support.

“Our nearest store is located just 500 metres away in Darley Street.”

Val Summerscales, of Bradford Chamber of Trade, said: “It’s a great shame to lose a well-established business and it is another loss to the ‘shopping offer’. Moss Bros has been in Bradford a long, long time.”

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Bradford Council executive member for employment, skills and culture, said Moss Bros was closing because of an issue about the rent.

“Retailers are saying rents are high in these austere times,” she said.

“We have the City Centre Growth Zone but we can’t do anything about rent because that is down to the private landlord. Landlords should set reasonable rates so businesses can prosper in the city centre. Until landlords set reasonable rates there are going to be some retailers that can’t sustain a presence in the city centre.”