Kurt Geiger, at the bottom of North Street, Brighton, shut last week.

The windows were covered in black vinyl and a note on the door told customers with collections to ring a phone number.

Inside, the shelves were emptied and people could be seen packing boxes.

A worker was removing the black vinyl covering, but the store was already being emptied (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

The shop is on the corner of East Street where just a few doors down two other shops – Sandro and Maje – closed last month.

Kurt Geiger did not respond when contacted for comment but the store has been removed from its website and Google Maps says it is permanently closed.

It means Sussex shoppers will have to go to central London for in-store browsing at the shoe retailer.

The unit, part of the Hanningtons Estate, is next to Bravissimo and The White Company.

Estate agent GCW is listing the unit for let, with a 1,251 square feet ground floor and a basement of 1,013 square feet.

• READ MORE: Residents concerned over closure of Brighton shops

Kurt Geiger is on the corner of North Street and East Street in Brighton (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Councillor Alan Robins, the chairman of the city council’s culture, heritage, sport, tourism and economic committee, said: “We all know that high streets across the country have been hit hard in recent years by the rise of internet shopping and the country’s economic difficulties.

“But any talk of ‘the death of the high street’ in Brighton and Hove would be a long way wide of the mark.

“Our work with the Brilliant Brighton Business Improvement District (BID) to attract footfall to the city centre and its retailers is proving very successful.

“The percentage of vacant shops across our city as a whole is much lower than the national average – at 9.23 per cent compared to national average of 13.8 per cent.

“The rate in the city centre covered by the BID is even lower at 7.21 per cent.

“We support all businesses in the city through our Business and Intellectual Property Centre. This is based at the Jubilee Library and offers free advice on all aspects of running a business.

“We have recently adopted new planning policies that are likely to offer more flexibility in terms of bringing vacant shops back into use.

“The new ‘E Use class’ planning category brings together shops, banks, estate agents, restaurants, and creches and nurseries, health or medical centres and offices under the same use class for planning purposes.

“This provides flexibility to change between the uses within the E use class without the need for planning permission.

“Our new planning policies also support temporary and short term use of vacant buildings and sites by start-up businesses as well as creative, cultural and community organisations.

“The outlook here for high-tech businesses is also very positive. A recent report by the Centre for Cities and HSBC shows Brighton and Hove to be among the top five cities in the country in terms of the concentration of these types of firms.”