A LONG-ESTABLISHED jewellery store in Dunfermline's town centre is to close.

The H Samuel shop on the High Street will shut permanently this month due to the financial strain caused by COVID-19 and will not re-open when restrictions are lifted on the retail sector.

It appears that the jewellery chain's Dunfermline store had been earmarked for closure previously but the firm's plans have been "accelerated" because of dire economic conditions.

An anonymous tip-off to the Press yesterday (Wednesday) said that staff had started clearing shelves and that the Kirkcaldy branch was saved over the Dunfermline store but H Samuel has not confirmed that.

Dunfermline MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “I’m sure this will be extremely disappointing news for H Samuel’s staff and customers in Dunfermline.

“These past few months have been very difficult for businesses.

“The main focus has rightly been on the health emergency but the pandemic has also caused an economic emergency as well.

“Anyone affected by this decision is welcome to contact my office if they need advice on support available to them.”

A spokesperson for H Samuel said: "Yes, our H Samuel store in Dunfermline is closing.

"When stores re-open, the referral store for customers will be H Samuel in Edinburgh Prince Street (18 miles away).

"We are also looking to introduce a new online shopping service for all of our customers.

"We have already introduced the new ‘Live Advice’ feature for our sister brand, Ernest Jones, enabling our online customers to continue to receive five-star customer service and have the in-store experience from the comfort and safety of their very own homes.

"Amid this challenging pandemic and fluid business conditions, we have accelerated a previous strategy to close some stores permanently, starting this month.

"We are, of course, contacting our H Samuel Dunfermline customers, in order to connect them with any orders or repairs that may be outstanding from the store.

"Our customers can also continue to shop with H Samuel online at www.hsamuel.co.uk."