A DISAPPOINTED Greenock councillor hopes Argos will be the last retailer to go as the council seeks to revive the town centre.
The Tele reported last week that the UK retailer had decided to close down their Oak Mall store and pull out of the town altogether.
It followed the decision to pull down the Cathcart Street end of the Oak Mall, which is now completely empty.
Councillor Francesca Brennan, who has previously called for action to support the Oak Mall, told the Tele the decision by the UK retailer was a big blow.
Councillor Brennan said: "It is really disappointing to see Argos closing its doors in Greenock.
"Argos could have continued to be an important part of retail here in Inverclyde and I know that local shoppers appreciated what it had to offer.
"It had very much been my hope that store bosses would find a way to relocate within Greenock town centre.
"If Argos managers have decided against this option, the very least we should expect as a community is for local staff to be fully supported and prioritised to take up roles in Inverclyde with Sainsbury’s, which owns Argos.
"We have lost a significant number of employment opportunities in Inverclyde over the past 12 months and we do not want Greenock Argos staff to be left behind."
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But Councillor Brennan says that investment is now being made in Greenock with a view to improving the experience of shoppers in the town centre.
She said: "When it comes to the future of our high streets, we really need local residents to continue to support town centre shops as much as possible and choose to shop local whenever we can.
"Things are changing in Greenock’s town centre for the better and we are starting to see the positive impact of different regeneration projects but we need people to put their spending power behind the businesses we have and make sure we help our high streets to thrive.
"Argos has made its decision and now we need to make sure we keep the other shops we have in the town."
Inverclyde Council was awarded £20million from the UK Government to revamp the town centre and improve road access.
As part of this plan the section of the Oak Mall where Argos was located was set to be demolished next spring.
It is understood Argos was offered another location in the shopping centre but took the decision to close, with concern over the future of the ten members of staff.
Argos closed on Saturday, September 14 and bosses said they were looking at opportunities to redeploy staff.
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