The number of remaining House of Fraser stores in the UK has almost halved over the past year following the closure of its Cabot Circus branch in Bristol last week.

The Mike Ashley-owned department store chain has just 15 shops remaining – a steep drop from the 25 stores it had as of April last year and the 59 when it acquired the business in 2018.

The closure of the Cabot Circus store, which will M&S has taken over and plans to open next year, comes after the retailer’s Reading, Solihull and Guildford branches shuttered last year.

The buildings housing House of Fraser’s Darlington and Plymouth stores are currently up for sale, however, it is understood that this will have no impact on the retailer’s current leases.

Frasers Group chief executive Michael Murray warned last year that House of Fraser could completely vanish from the high street as part of mass rebrand of the business.

Murray said the company’s current strategy is to move away from the traditional department store in favour of a premium concept model, called Frasers, filled with the group’s own suite of brands.

The House of Fraser owner revealed last month that it plans to open five Frasers stores this financial year, including transforming its former House of Fraser store in Maidstone in Kent, as it looks to expand its current portfolio of ten.

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