The future of a flagship shoe shop is up in the air after a ‘to let’ sign appeared outside its high street store.

It is uncertain whether Kurt Geiger in Brighton’s North Street will be booted out when its lease expires.

The Argus received varying accounts from both Kurt Geiger and Hannington’s Estate, which rents out the shop space on 1-2 North Street.

A member of staff at the Kurt Geiger branch said: “A few months ago I saw the sign outside and realised the shop was to let, but we’ve all been kept in the dark.

“I know it’s the end of our lease and they’re renegotiating, but that’s it.

“We’re staying upbeat for now and we’re fighting our corner.”

A spokeswoman for Kurt Geiger said the company was “not able to comment”.

But previously, she said: “We’re renegotiating a deal with Hannington’s at the moment. It’s tricky for us to comment because we’re still in negotiations.

“But we’re obviously not closing the store: it’s highly unlikely the store would close. We’ve got no intention of closing it. We’re just negotiating.”

“We’ll be able to confirm by next week,” she said.

Hannington’s initially said its rents are raised in line with inflation. But a spokesman then said this did not apply to the Kurt Geiger deal.

“The rent is not going up,” he said. “With a commercial lease, you can put a shop back on the market within six months of the term’s expiry and have conversations with other potential tenants. It’s a common thing.

“If you were going through the usual professional routes you wouldn’t put up a ‘to let’ sign.

“But if there’s uncertainty on the terms, we’re duty bound to work like this.

“Kurt Geiger has every right remain here and we’d love them to stay.”

With a ‘to let’ sign outside, employees in the dark, shoppers uncertain, and mixed messages from both sides of the negotiating table, Kurt Geiger’s fate is hanging in the balance.