Facing a rental increase in a struggling retail economy, Tess Ltd is to close its Jeans Express store on Queen Street, Hamilton at the end of the month.The shop has two full-time staff members and one part-time employee.David Hamshere is the president of Tess, which also operates English Sports Shop, Marks and Spencers, Luso, and Boutique CC.He said discussions are taking place with Jeans Express staff to determine whether they will stay on at another Tess outlet.“It’s a question of where we fit them,” he said. “These are not easy times for retail.”On the decision to close Jeans Express, Mr Hamshere said: “We are just being very careful about overheads. Faced with a rental increase, and given that Bermuda’s retail is under a great deal of pressure with the advent of the Amazons of this world and the ease of access for stuff to be flown in at great prices, we decided to cut our cloth to suit the cost.”Mr Hamshere said the brands currently sold at Jeans Express will be carried in the men’s and women’s departments at English Sports Shop, on Front Street.He said a storage area on the top floor of the store will be renovated to create extra retail space for the men’s department in order to accommodate a jeans display, while the company’s existing warehouse space will be used for storage. Mr Hamshere said Jeans Express’ lease with landlords, Bermuda Mechanics Beneficial Association, expires at the end of this month.“We have had a good relationship with the Mechanics Association, it has been amicable and very mutually beneficial,” he said.Jeans Express, which opened ten years ago in the 1,800-square-foot space, is having a closing down sale beginning tomorrow.