ANOTHER shop in York city centre is to close, with staff facing redundancy.

The bath and body products retailer Crabtree & Evelyn, based at the entrance to premier shopping street Stonegate, has put up signs in the windows declaring: 'Thank you & goodbye.'

The sign says: "Despite this store having another very profitable year in 2018, unfortunately the business has taken the decision not to renew the lease on this building.

"Therefore this store will close on 28/02/19.

"As a store, we would like to thank all our very loyal customers who have contributed to our success and supported this brand since 1972.

"While we completely understand your disappointment by this decision, we respectfully ask that you direct any feedback to head office, as opposed to the store team who are now in the position of being made redundant."

The notice added that staff appreciated customers' 'sensitivity and kind understanding at this time,' and said Crabtree & Evelyn would continue to trade online.

It has been reported recently that the firm is planning to move all business globally online , with all stores closing over the next few months, and some stores elsewhere in the UK have already shut.

The York store is understood to employ eight people.

Store manager Stef Green said she could not comment, other than to saw she was 'really proud' of her team, which had worked to make the shop very profitable last year.

She also wanted to thank organisations including York BID and Make It York for their support with the Love Yor-K High Street campaign last year, which she helped organise and which aimed to support businesses in the city centre and launched a petition asking the Government for “urgent review and reform of the business rates system to create a fair and level playing field."

She said at its launch last September that more needed to be done to ensure shopkeepers could thrive in York, adding:“You would have to have been sitting under a rock somewhere if you haven’t noticed the high streets are having a hard time."

The Crabtree & Evelyn closure is just the latest blow for the city centre. The Press has reported in recent weeks that other shops set to close include Hambleton Furniture in Walmgate, where the owner is retiring, and craft shop the York Makery in Gillygate, whose owner has cited high rate and rent concerns among other issues.