PLANS to close Bournemouth’s House of Fraser store, along with 30 other branches, are set to go ahead after winning the backing of creditors.

The closures are set to affect up to 6,000 staff nationwide, 4,000 of whom are employed by other brands and concessions in the shops.

The business won backing from a majority of creditors for a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), which will close more than half its stores and cut rents on others.

It said the restructuring was essential to secure its future and access new capital from the Chinese retailer C.banner.

All the affected stores will close until early next year and the firm said bosses were “absolutely committed to supporting all colleagues affected by the store closures”.

Frank Slevin, chairman of House of Fraser, said: “The approval of the CVAs is a seminal moment in House of Fraser’s history. We must now continue with the implementation of our restructuring plan. This is also an important milestone in the transaction with C.banner and moves us toward the completion of the capital injection first announced in May.”

Chief executive Alex Williamson said: “The CVA proposals have been approved by our creditors and we are grateful for their ongoing support and belief in the future of House of Fraser. This was clearly a difficult decision to take but is, ultimately, the only one to secure our future.”