H&M and Glue Store will close their Hobart CBD locations, leaving two prominent retail spaces vacant in the city centre.
The global fashion retailer confirmed its Collins Street store, which connects to the Cat and Fiddle Arcade, will close on April 2.
H&M said the decision followed a review of its store network and the end of its lease.
The Hobart store opened in 2018 in the former Harris Scarfe site.
Glue will also shut its Hobart outlet on the corner of Liverpool and Elizabeth streets.
Its owner, Accent Group, announced in late February it would sell or close a number of underperforming stores by July, with Hobart among those affected.
Business Greater Hobart chair Edwin Johnstone said the closures reflected the pressures facing bricks-and-mortar retail.
“This highlights how competitive retail is right now, with online shopping and rising costs affecting decisions about physical stores,” he said.
Johnstone said the priority now needed to be ensuring the vacant shopfronts were reactivated quickly.
“The real issue isn’t just the closure, it’s how quickly we can reactivate the space and keep confidence in the CBD strong,” he said.
