Furniture and interiors brand Habitat is leaving the city as its high street showroom prepares to shut.

The store in North Street, Brighton, is sitting almost entirely empty with just a few rugs and dining tables dotted around the shop floor.

Habitat announced in 2018 it would open its first new site in ten years in the city’s former Hannington’s department store.

But just five years on, the showroom is closing down, along with the remaining sites in Leeds and Westfield, London.

Habitat spokesman told Furniture News: “In 2020 we reviewed our Habitat stores and took the decision to close some and retain three as showrooms.

“Since then, customers have increasingly been shopping for Habitat products online and within Sainsbury’s stores, meaning the showrooms have been less popular.

The Argus: Habitat opened in 2018Habitat opened in 2018 (Image: The Argus)

“As a result, we are talking to a very small number of colleagues about the difficult decision to close all three showrooms in July.”

But as Habitat is owned by Sainsbury’s, there is talk of finding new jobs for remaining Habitat staff elsewhere.

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“We have not made this decision lightly and we appreciate it will be unsettling for those affected,” said the spokesman.

“We will be supporting our colleagues in every way we can, including exploring opportunities for them to redeploy within Sainsbury’s and Argos.”

It is understood the showrooms will close on July 1.