THE Oak Mall has been dealt a blow with news that a long-established store is set to shut down.
The Officers Club in the shopping centre is closing, it’s been announced. 
A struggling retail chain which owns the brand is disposing of the Greenock branch as part of a UK-wide restructure.
The men’s clothing shop has become a casualty after owner Blue Inc hit financial trouble.
It plans to close 33 of its 127 shops, with the Oak Mall outlet one of them. 
A ‘closing down’ sale sign has been put up and a staff member confirmed that the premises will go.
It is unclear at this stage whether jobs will be lost as a result. or if staff could be redeployed.
Earlier this month. it was reported that the chain’s parent company had instructed Begbies Traynor to undertake a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) – a process that would allow it to close unprofitable stores, see rents reduced and put the business on a firmer financial footing.
It’s understood that Blue Inc is struggling with debt repayments and hefty rent bills.
If voted through by creditors the move, which is part of a wider organisational restructuring, is expected to result in heavy job losses.
The Tele contacted Blue Inc several times, but no-one responded to our request for a comment on the closure.
Bosses at the Oak Mall, meanwhile, say they want to emphasise that the decision taken had nothing to do with the shopping centre.