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Christchurch department store Arthur Barnett is to close the doors at its city centre store after 140 years' trading in various guises.

The store will close later this month, costing 35 jobs, the Press reported today.

A retail store had been on the Arthur Barnett site since 1860, the newspaper said.

The store originally traded as Beaths, until it was taken over by the DIC Group in 1977. DIC was in turn bought by Arthur Barnett in 1987.

Arthur Barnett director Michael Coburn said the increasing popularity of megastores and suburban malls had taken its toll on city centre shops.

- NZPA