THE Isle of Wight's branch of clothing brand Animal will close for good in September.

It is business as usual at the Newport High Street shop until then, however.

Other mainland outlets are expected to continue to trade until early next year.

In a statement, Animal's parent company said: "As a result of the extremely challenging retail market, which has now further worsened due to Covid-19, H. Young announces it will be closing its Animal business by the end of January 2O21.

"This will obviously be a very sad announcement for all Animal's hardworking employees and its loyal customers.

"ln this period Animal will continue trading through its stores and its website and its clothing will also be available through its distributors.

"Finally we would like to thank everyone for all their support over these many years."

The Isle of Wight County Press has asked for more detail about how many Island staff will be affected by the shop's closure.