A COMPANY hit by fire during an arson attack will not be reopening its doors because bosses fear it will not make enough money.

Halfords, in Eastgate, Accrington, was one of three businesses which lost millions following the blaze in last July.

CBS mail order and superstore Netto were also affected. A fourth store, Poundstretcher, was saved from the blaze after firefighters punched a hole in the felt roofing and hosed the fire from the roof to prevent it spreading.

But Halfords has now decided not to re-open. The store, which originally opened in February, 1998, has transferred 14 of the 18 jobs to other sites in the area. Halfords also has a superstore in Grimshaw Park, Blackburn.

A Halfords spokesman said: "The destruction of the Accrington Halfords by fire has allowed the business to evaluate the store's performance. Unfortunately it has been decided not to reopen the store due to its economic performance.

"All the store staff have been consulted and to date 14 of the 18 staff have been successfully relocated. One is currently negotiating the options Halfords have offered her while four have left amicably."

The £4million blaze started after a stack of palates next to Halfords caught fire and spread to the roof of the building, causing extensive heat and smoke damage to the stores.

More than 60 firefighters battled on the roof of the building for three hours to contain the fire with ten fire appliances called in from across East Lancashire.

CBS opened its store last month after a complete refit while a Netto spokesman said hundreds of thousands of pounds had been spent refurbishing its store, which officially opens its doors tomorrow.

Netto director John Beautekant said he was looking forward to returning to Accrington.

He said: "It was a severe blow and you don't account for that sort of thing happening to your business.

"We are looking forward to coming back.

"We had a fantastic relationship with our customers."

A 13-year-old was charged with arson in relation to the attack and is due to appear in court.