River Island removes plus-size range from all UK stores

The brand said most plus-size purchases are done online

River Island will only sell its plus-size clothing online (River Island)

River Island has removed its plus-size range from all of its UK stores to the dismay of customers.

The brand released the highly-anticipated range RI Plus in 2016 - but now just 18 months later, it has made the decision to offer the plus-size range on its website only.

The move, according to River Island, comes after the majority of plus-size purchases were made online.

In a statement to Cosmopolitan, the high-street retailer defended its decision to remove its size 18 to 28 clothes from stores - citing “freedom to stock more lines.”

A spokesperson told the magazine: “After 18 months in both stores and online we found the vast majority of sales (average 85 to 90 per cent) were online and we found that this was in line with market - that more and more shoppers are migrating to online shopping to have the options to try on at home.

“Making RI Plus online only has given us the freedom to stock more lines and increase our rate of newness to give the customer more of what she wants faster than ever before.”

In response to the store’s confirmation, which was made only after shoppers noticed the missing line, people have expressed their disappointment with the brand’s decision.

“Another retailer restricting us from actually going shopping… may as well sit on the couch getting fatter shopping online,” one person tweeted.

Another sarcastically asked: “Why? Have plus-size people stopped wearing clothes?”

However, according to previous tweets, the brand’s stores rarely kept the plus-size range stocked - and may have removed it from certain stores much earlier.

“Why have River Island stopped having the plus-size section available in store?” someone asked in a tweet from December 2017. “Every bloody time I’ve gone over the past six months, there’s been nothing.”

On the brand’s website, there are currently 256 plus-size items for sale.

The Independent has contacted River Island for comment.