THE closure of two shops in Colchester town centre has been mourned as “two more holes in the town”.

It is understood at least 12 jobs will be lost with the closure of Blacks, in High Street, and Millets, in Short Wyre Street.

Seven jobs are also to go as Millets in Braintree’s High Street closes its doors.

Blacks Leisure is shutting 89 shops across the country it says have “not traded profitably for many years”.

Both shops had closing down sale banners out yesterday, but staff declined to comment.

The Millets on High Street, Colchester, and Blacks in the St John’s Walk will remain open.

Michelle Reynolds, chairman of the Colchester Retail Business Association, said it was “easy for a chain to cut when it has two branches in a town”.

“This is very disappointing news, but unfortunately they are both casualties of the current economic climate,” she added.

“It’s more lost jobs in the town and someone losing their livelihood is more important than any number of empty shops.”

Mrs Reynolds particularly lamented Blacks’ closure, which only opened in March after being converted from a Freespirit surf shop, and occupies “a very prominent spot” opposite the Town Hall.

“It hasn’t been there that long and they must have spent a fair amount of money, only to shut it down months later,” she said.

“I would call on the agents for both shops to be sensible with the rents they set to get new businesses in there as quickly as possible.”

Blacks made a loss of £6.8million in the last financial year and the continuing woes for retailers mean it faces breaching the terms of its bank loans.

As well as closing shops to cut an estimated 450 staff, the company is looking to shed 50 head office jobs.