Mystery surrounds closure of stores

Customers turned up at branches of Darbyshires Appliances this week to find the showrooms shut and emptied of goods.

The firm, which has stories in Deansgate Blackpool, Victoria Road West in Cleveleys and Village Walks, Poulton, gave no warning of any impending shutdown.

At each premises the doors had been locked and a notice posted in the window informing the stores would be closed until further notice.

The closure came as a shock to one customer who was waiting for an order to arrive in the Blackpool store.

She had paid up front for a microwave oven and has now been forced to pay out again for a different model from another supplier.

Lynn, of Garden View Place in South Shore, said: “I got told by passers by that the place was empty on Monday.

“I’d paid for a pink microwave. They took the money on March 31 and I was told it would be in on April 5 or 6.

“I have the receipt saying cash paid but nothing else.

“£70 might not sound a lot of money but it is to me.

“I’ve now had to go out and find a different microwave, paying out more.”

A notice appeared at the Blackpool store on Tuesday suggesting some trade might return to the premises.

However the showroom remained empty.

The Gazette understands the company’s landlord at one of the premises had not been made aware of any issues and the firm had been model tenants

Nobody from Darbyshire’s was available to comment.