International clothing brand H&M has refused to comment on what will happen to its Isle of Wight staff when its store closes next month.

The shop, in Newport's South Street, will shut on February 4.

The Isle of Wight County Press asked H&M to confirm how many people would be made redundant, but it declined to give any information.

Instead, the brand said: "During the last few years, we have seen a rapid change in customer behaviour that we cannot ignore."

"We continuously need to evaluate and develop our business to meet our customers’ needs and offer the best possible shopping experience, whether it’s online or in our physical stores," a spokesperson said.

"Our ambition is to continue investing in our customers, open new stores where we see opportunities and develop our digital channels.

"Sometimes decisions must be made to enable long-term growth. This means we sometimes need to close stores. This decision has been made for our Isle of Wight store."

The popular fashion brand has occupied a significant two-storey retail space in the Island's county town.

The shock decision to close was announced by an in-store sign directing customers to its website.

H&M has closed more than 50 stores in recent months and currently runs just under 200 in the UK.