Belfast’s BBC Shop closing at end of March

Despite a recent facelift and the smell of fresh paint still wafting from its doors, the BBC Shop in Belfast’s Arthur Street will be closing at the end of March. Update: now closing end of April.

In total, seven shops run by BBC Worldwide are closing across the UK, with 23 redundancies. The shops were facing increasing competition from online and high-street retailers, and a projected loss of a quarter of a million pounds this financial year finally tipped the balance for the organisation whose

• Profits more than doubled within two years and up 62% on last year to £89m
• Sales up 11% to £784m

Time to call in and say thanks to the ever-friendly staff ... and pick up any bargains if they have a stock clearance sale.