Watford's mayor says he is "confident" the town centre can survive the pandemic.

Peter Taylor has backed the town's economic future despite the town's shopping scene suffering a blow after Debenhams' announced its store at intu Watford has closed permanently.

The department store said last week that it had failed to agree new terms of rent with its landlord intu at three of its sites, including Watford.

This led to Debenhams taking the decision to close the Watford shop - despite it only opening less than two years ago.

It leaves a gap to fill in the £180 million extension at intu Watford.

Mr Taylor said: "'It's very sad news that Debenhams will not be reopening in the town and of course my heart goes out to those employees who are now facing an uncertain time.

"This is definitely a challenging time for businesses across the country due to this virus.

"However, unlike many other town centres in the country, Watford's has a thriving town centre which is growing, with many businesses still choosing to invest in our town and expressing interest in moving here.

"I'm confident that we will get through this challenging period and Watford will continue to be a town on the up."

Watford Observer:

Watford Labour leader, Councillor Nigel Bell, has also expressed his concern at the closure.

He said: "I'm very concerned about the impact this could have on the town as Debenhams was the centrepiece for the new development.

"The impact on jobs and families is sad. I'd also ask what leverage is he mayor and council going to use in talks with intu for the future of our town centre."

intu, which is in the midst of its own financial troubles, declined to comment specifically on the Watford store but a spokesperson said last week that the company remained in talks with Debenhams about its other sites around the country.

Following the announcement of closures in Watford, Milton Keynes, and Gateshead, intu said: "We are still in discussion with Debenhams and their administrators on the future of their stores across our portfolio, which have to date been positive.

"This is a lengthy process and we are in the final stages of agreeing terms.

"Naturally with a portfolio of large format stores such as these, they offer great opportunities for alternative uses and we remain optimistic about the future of this valuable retail space."

Debenhams confirmed the Watford store closure saying: "Sadly we have been unable to agree terms with the landlord in Watford and as a result this store will not be re-opening in line with the rest of the chain next week.

"We greatly regret the effect on our colleagues, who have served our customers with commitment and dedication. Our customers in Watford can continue to shop with us online at www.debenhams.com or at other local stores from next week."

Watford Observer:

The Debenhams in Watford became the first in the country to feature the newly redesigned Beauty Hall of the Future which the company describes as "a modern, easy to navigate and houses interactive space where customers can browse, discover and experiment with products from established beauty houses".

When Debenhams was announced in 2016 as the major retailer in the £180m extension, then general manager of intu Watford, Howard Oldstein, told the Observer the shopping centre wanted Debenhams as an "additional anchor" to John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, and when it opened for the first time, current manager Vicki Costello said it was "extremely exciting" to welcome Debenhams.

Debenhams hailed the opening in Watford with its property director stating at the time that Watford has been a "long time target location" for the company.