MINEHEAD is set to lose another high street chain with the closure of the town's branch of Clinton Cards at the end of October.

A spokesman for the company - the UK's largest greetings card chain - said six staff at The Parade store had chosen to accept redundancy "due to their personal circumstances".

She said the store was being closed because the lease on the shop unit was coming to an end.

The Minehead branch, which is one of 860 Clinton Cards outlets nationally, will close for business on October 31.

In July the company, which in addition to cards also sells party paraphernalia and cuddly toys, issued a profits warning, announcing that sales would be two per cent lower than previous expectations.

The fall led to the board adjusting its operating profit forecast to a figure similar to last year's £12.6 million, instead of the £16m previously hoped for.

Clinton Cards blamed the change on a poor trading performance by its 13 stores in Ireland.

The company bought the Birthdays chain in 2004, which also has a branch in Minehead, although this is understood to be unaffected by the closure of the Clinton Cards outlet.

Earlier this year Minehead's branch of footwear retailers Stead and Simpson closed and in recent years the town has also been hit by the loss of electrical retailers Currys and Woolworths.