Popular shoe retailer Hotter has confirmed its stores in Ipswich and Colchester are closing permanently following the coronavirus lockdown.

Regular customers of the Ipswich store in Tavern Street have been sent emails and letters saying: “Your local Ipswich store has now closed.

“We’d like to thank you for all your support and for shopping with us in store. You can still shop with us 24/7 online, browsing the latest collection from the comfort of your own home.”

MORE: Ipswich footfall continues to rise as shoppers returnThe Ipswich branch has also been removed from the store locator on the Hotter website, together with the store in Trinity Square, Colchester.

This leaves the nearest stores as the ones in Norwich, Cambridge and Southend.

Victoria Betts, Hotter’s chief commercial officer, said: “We’d like to thank all our customers and our team of hardworking staff from our Ipswich and Colchester stores for their support, but unfortunately these stores are now closed.

“Customers are able to buy our shoes from www.hotter.com where they can also book an appointment for a personal shoe fitting in our Norwich store.“

The footwear retailer launched a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) in July and announced at that time many of its stores would close.

MORE: Customers told to ‘shop as normal’ as supermarkets begin restricting items