PLANS to regenerate Paisley town centre have suffered a major blow after three stores shut down within days.

PLANS to regenerate Paisley town centre have suffered a major blow after three stores shut down within days.

Staff at JJB Sports, The Rangers Shop, and Stead & Simpson were told their branches were closing towards the end of last week.

More than a dozen prime sites on High Street and Moss Street now lie empty despite a drive to attract new retailers.

Workers at the two sports shops have been told they will be relocated to other stores while five staff at Stead & Simpson have been laid off after the shoe chain was bought over by a rival firm.

It's understood town centre bosses are so worried about the number of To Let signs springing up they are considering removing them altogether.

A Renfrewshire Council source said: "We are looking at other ways to advertise the vacant units. We remain committed to regenerating the town centre and we don't believe there is any need to panic."

A spokeswoman for JJB Sports, which also operates Rangers retail division, said: "We do not want to comment on the reasoning behind the closures.

"All the staff affected will be offered work in other branches and we are keen to stress there will be no job losses."

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the Shoe Zone Group, which bought most of the Stead & Simpson branches in the UK, said: "We will continue to play our part in the consolidation of the footwear market."

Studies show trade in Paisley has slumped by more than 50% over the last 10 years because of out-of-town shopping complexes.

One-fifth of all prime retail units in the town lie empty and small traders claim they cannot afford high street rents.

Big name retailers which have disappeared from the town's high street are; Littlewoods, the Co-op, Arnotts, Dixons, Our Price and Sports Connection.

The council, regeneration group Paisley Vision and Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire are trying to reshape the future of the town centre.

Council leader Derek McKay said: "I remain positive about the future of Paisley town centre. There are a number of projects in the pipeline and investors lined up willing to put in money."