Croydon's Debenhams branch will not reopen after the coronavirus lockdown is eased, it has been announced.

The struggling retailer confirmed the news despite its "best efforts", along with the announcment of four other store closures across the country.

A spokesman for Debenhams said it had been unable to agree terms with Hammerson, which owns the Centrale shopping centre.

It has been reported that the closures may result in about 1,400 job losses across the five branches.

A spokesman for Debenhams said: "We can confirm that despite our best efforts, we have been unable to agree terms with Hammerson on our five stores in its shopping centres, and so they will not be reopening.

"We continue to engage in constructive talks with our landlords and have agreed terms on the vast majority of our stores, which we look forward to reopening when government restrictions allow.

"This is no reflection on the commitment of our colleagues in these stores and we are extremely grateful for their support."

Last month Debenhams closed seven outlets, resulting in the loss of 422 jobs, though it said it had agreed terms with landlords to continue trading at 120 of its 142 UK stores.

The retailer entered administration on April 9, appointing FRP Advisory to oversee the process, casting a shadow over the future of its 22,000 staff.

At the time the majority of its employees in the UK were being paid under the Government's furlough scheme.