ANOTHER business closure is set for Galashiels as Pound-Stretcher gets ready to shut its doors.

The bargain superstore has been on the town's High Street for decades but as other discount stores began to pop up nearby, it has struggled amid the competition. 

'Poundies' announced it will be closing on January 19, 2016, as is one in a long list of shops that have boarded up in recent years.

There are already discussions about what to do with the large town-centre building and plans are on the table for a 60-bedroom hotel to take its place.

Galashiels Councillor John Mitchell regrets the loss of the homewear store, just as plans to revive the neighbouring precinct with the new Gala Market get moving.

He said: "I was personally very sad to see the sign up in Pound-Stretcher intimating impending closure as it is a shop I have used over the 28 years we have lived in this area.

"I suspect the arrival of Home Bargains and B and M in particular have affected their market. With the recession, every pound is precious and customers are nowadays very aware of what costs how much where, and where bargains are to be had.

"The council is always saddened to see local jobs disappearing and does all it can on the employment and every other front, despite the constraints placed on it by Westminster government.

"The railway has had a huge positive influence on many shops in Gala with the hours between 11 a m and 4pm are far busier in many cases than they used to be."

There continue to be mixed reports about whether the Borders Railway in having a positive or negative effect on the economic situation in the Borders.

On the one hand, a number of businesses are struggling as shoppers flock to Edinburgh on the train, and on the other, many have experienced a boost in trade and VisitScotland announced that four out of five shops in Galashiels have reported their takings have doubled since September.

Galashiels Councillor Sandy Aitchison said: "It's very unfortunate that the shop is closing up because it's been here for a long time. It's a difficult time for many retailers in the Borders and it's hard to see another go.”

“The town has definitely been busier since the railway opened. Although, as we've been coming up to Christmas there has perhaps been a counter effect and more people have been going out of Galashiels for shopping rather than coming into it.

"In the summer the railway will be much more beneficial to our town centres and in the next 12 months the amount of people shopping here will increase.

"The Galashiels Town Centre Co-Ordinator has been working with community engagement group 'Enegergise Galashiels' to deliver improvements to the town.

"The council committees involved try their hardest to keep businesses open and keep our town's busy, and at the end of the day they live here too, they don't want to see businesses leaving the Borders either."

Vice-Convener and communications director of the Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce Bruce Simpson said that the loss of a Poundstretcher does not spell bad news for retailers across the Borders. 

He said: "Whilst it is dissapointing Poundstretcher is closing there remains a lot of optimisn and interest in Galashiels retail property from potential businesses. In fact, commercial optimism is on the rise and there is a 60-bedroom hotel being planned for the building.

"Borders Rail has been an outstanding success to date and likely to be the catalyst for a tourism revival in the area."