THE future of one of York's most popular shops looks to be in doubt after its site was listed by estate agents for rent.

The Disney Shop in Parliament Street was marked as “a retail store front for rent” by Green & Partners LLP 25 days ago.

Speculation over the future of the shop comes amid reports from Walt Disney World News suggesting that locations - not including Disney's London flagship store in Oxford Street - will potentially be affected by closures.

The news comes just months after the Disney brand announced plans for 60 store closures in North America as part of its new strategy to focus on online sales.

In a statement released by Disney Stores, a spokesperson said: “We are currently in consultation with an initial group of stores in the UK, including our York store.”

The shop is described by Green & Partners as being in a “prominent location” and “surrounded by established and independent retailers alike”.

York Press:

Phil Pinder, chair of York Retail Forum and director at York Bid, told The Press that it was "incredibly sad" to see a brand like Disney potentially closing stores.

“The stores to my knowledge were profitable before the pandemic and I believe the York one has been profitable since so it’s a bit of a strange decision.

“It’s probably been taken in Hollywood. I don’t think they’ve actually looked at each of the profits individually for the stores.

“I think they’ve just decided they’re moving online.

“Disney will discover a lot of what they sell is impulse buying.”

In 2007, the Disney Store assured customers and staff that it had no intention of closing after the company filed a change of use planning application with City of York Council.

Speculation at the time was later quashed by a spokeswoman for the applicant, Town Centre Securities, who said Disney had “no plans to close its store”. The store closed temporarily for works in 2011.

If the Disney Store was to close it would come as a fresh blow to York's high street after a number of shop closures during the pandemic.