Tati, much-loved French retailing institution, shuts up shop in Paris after 70 years

Cut-price clothing chain falls victim to changing shopping habits and the Covid-19 lockdown

Tati, the much-loved cut-price clothing chain that has been a French retail institution for more than 70 years, is to close its original - and last - Paris store after public transport strikes and the coronavirus crisis sent sales plunging by more than 60%.

Founded by a Tunisian immigrant at the end of the second world war in the shabby but exotic mainly west African Barbes district at the foot of Montmartre, Tati grew into more than 100 outlets around France, while its emblematic pink-and-white chequered carrier bags became a style statement for film stars and celebrities.