176 jobs to go

Employees at both the Barry and Penarth department stores were said to be "stunned" when given the news, and now face the task of finding new employment.

The stores will close on Saturday, January 28, with the loss of 45 full-time and 94 part-time staff in Barry, and 11 full-time and 26 part-time staff in Penarth.

Managing director Geraint Evans said the decision to close the family-owned stores had been taken in the light of changing trends in retail across the UK.

"I am very proud of our achievements and successes," he said.

"But the changing face of retail will make it increasingly difficult to provide the level of service and value which our customers expect and have become accustomed to.

"This is a very sad day for our staff, but it is inevitable that future success for a store our size can only be achieved through trading from modern efficient buildings.

"We know that in the future we would be unable to sustain successful trading from our 100-year-old buildings, with their cramped and inefficient sales floors which, coupled with increasing competition in the high street and out of town, would severely limit our ability to offer a competitive service."

Mr Evans added: "We will now be entering into formal discussions with all our staff and will give them every assistance we can in helping them to find alternative employment.

"They are very special individuals, highly trained, who would be a credit to any organisation."

The Dan Evans store in Barry celebrates its centenary this year. It was founded in 1905 by Geraint Evans' grandfather - Dan Evans - who bought the ironmongers where he had been an apprentice and turned it into his first shop.

The Penarth shops opened late in 2004, when Dan Evans took over the premises of department store David Morgan, which closed its doors last year.

Shoppers in Barry were shocked to hear of the impending closure.