A TOTAL of 10 stores are set to close in the coming weeks in a fresh blow to the UK high street.
Shoppers have been hit by a string of closures in recent years and have seen some of their favorite chains close locations.
The cost of living crisis has left households with less money in their pockets, leading some to cut back on spending.
This had a knock-on effect on high street shops, which saw lower footfall and less money landing in tills, forcing many to close.
This, coupled with ongoing restructuring plans and high rents, has meant several chains have closed hundreds of locations.
Data from the Center for Retail Research revealed that nearly 10,500 stores were last closed in 2023.
Over 119,000 jobs were also lost in this sector in this 12-month period.
According to the center’s latest figures, 804 stores closed and 16,565 retail jobs were lost during January, February, March, April and May 2024.
This month will be no different, at least 10 stores will close their doors for the last time.
Of course it’s not all bad news, in some cases branches will be replaced by bigger and better stores.
Retailers regularly open and close stores for many reasons—not just because they’re struggling.
This could be because they have a better performing store nearby, or it could be because they want to choose a location with higher traffic such as a retail park.
We reveal which places are closing their shutters for the last time in July – plus opening chains too.
B&M
Beloved discount chain B&M is closing one of its stores in the coming weeks.
B&M at 14-20 Lord Street, Gainsborough, is closing on Wednesday 17 July.
But locals won’t have to wait long for their bargains as a new branch in the same area opens on Saturday 20 July.
It comes after B&M in Oldham’s Spindle Shopping Center closed on June 22.
But a new branch in the same mall opened in its new location on June 26.
Co-op
Loyal customers were surprised to learn their Stoke-on-Trent Co-op store in Meir was to close.
Locals who frequent the store have expressed their sadness, saying it is “always packed”.
The retail giant will close the Weston Road site permanently by July 13.
Staff are believed to be transferred to the Nisa store, but an opening date is unknown.
It comes after the Co-op closed another branch in Swindon earlier this year.
B&Q
B&Q is to close its Sudbury, Suffolk store this summer due to the expiry of its lease.
The owner obtained planning permission to redevelop the site and occupy the B&Q unit.
The proposed closing date for the store is July 20.
Responding to the news on Facebook, one local shopper said: “I guess the lack of investment in maintaining the hole-in-the-wall car park was telling – a shame as it was a useful shop.”
It comes after B&Q also closed its “core” store in June.
Card Factory
Card Factory has branches all over the country, including major cities such as London, Nottingham and Sheffield.
But customers in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, will soon have to find an alternative store as the chain is set to close its store on July 20.
AND Card Factory A spokesman said: “Constantly Assessment our estate with over 1,050 stores across the UK and Ireland.
“With our other Cumbernauld store just around the corner in Antonine Shopping Center on Forth Walk (0.3 miles away), we have decided to close our Teviot Street store from 20 July.
“We look forward to continuing to serve all our Cumbernauld customers and helping them celebrate their special moments in life.”
Peacocks
Peacocks on Holywell High Street in Flintshire, Wales closes on July 25.
The store is known for selling cheap and fashionable clothes.
A Peacocks spokesman confirmed the closure but The Sun also asked for comment.
The closure follows the closure of Peacocks in the Arc Shopping Center in Bury St Edmunds on 25 January 2024.
Why do merchants close shop?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many of Britain’s high streets and are often a symbol of city center decay.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are closing their doors.
In many cases, retailers are closing stores because they are no longer the money makers they once were due to the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising employee costs have made it even more expensive for stores to stay open. In some cases, retailers close shop and reopen a new store at the other end of the high street to reflect how the city has changed.
The problem is that when a big store closes, footfalls fall across the local high street, putting more stores at risk of closure.
Retail parks are becoming increasingly popular with shoppers looking for easy and free parking at a time when local authorities have increased parking charges in cities.
Many retailers, including Next and Marks & Spencer, are closing high street stores and instead taking larger stores to more efficient retail parks.
Boss Stuart Machin recently said that when he moved a tired store in Chesterfield to a large new store in a retail park half a mile away, his sales in the area increased by 103 per cent.
In some cases, stores were closed when the retailer went bust, such as Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase to name a few.
Increasingly, when a chain goes out of business, a rival retailer or private equity firm acquires the intellectual property rights to own the brand and sell it online.
They may continue to open multiple stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely that many stores or in the same locations.
Work
Works is set to close its plant in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland.
The discount retailer says the decision was made after failing to agree a new lease for the Marygate premises.
Specializing in gifts, arts, crafts, toys, books and stationery, The Works has been a high street favorite for many years.
But the Berwick store will be closing its shutters for good on Friday, July 26.
A spokesman for the retailer told the Northumberland Gazette: “We can confirm that we are closing our Berwick-upon-Tweed store on July 26.
“It was a great location for The Works, but unfortunately we couldn’t agree on suitable lease terms.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this closure and would like to thank customers for shopping at the store over the years.”
Robert Dyas
The ‘excellent’ Robert Dyas branch will also close in July.
The popular Castlepoint venue in Bournemouth is set to close up shop on July 20.
The sad news comes after the store was served with a notice from their landlord.
Spokesman Robert Dyas confirmed: “The landlord put notice on our Castle Point store as they wanted to split the unit in two and unfortunately we were unable to mutually agree the terms of the offer for one of the units.
“We will be exiting this store on July 20 and will continue to look for another and suitable new location in the area as it is a strong performing store for us.
“The other closest stores in the meantime for our loyal Robert Dyas customers are Poole and Christchurch.”
Poundland
Poundland is to close two stores in July, to the disappointment of shoppers.
Poundland on Freeman Street in Grimsby has been the main place for bargain hunters to find bargains but it will now close on July 2.
The store opened just seven months ago in November, replacing the long-standing Wilko store.
A spokesperson for the chain confirmed the closure, telling The Sun: “We have been unable to secure a long-term lease to allow us to continue trading, which is disappointing.
“As you know, whenever we have to close a store, we do everything we can to look for other opportunities for colleagues.”
One local wrote on Facebook: “Terrible decision” and added: “Now the poor workers are out of work again, some were fired less than a year ago from Wilko.”
Poundland has also confirmed to The Sun that it is closing its Hitchin site.
The shutters will come down for the last time on July 16.
A spokesman said: “Yes, unfortunately we have decided to close our Hitchin store on July 16.
“I am concerned that we have not been able to secure a long-term lease that would allow us to continue trading – we know how disappointing this will be for customers and colleagues.
“Whenever we have to close a store, we do everything we can to look for other opportunities for colleagues and that work is now underway.”
Which retailers are opening stores?
Several other retailers and hospitality establishments are planning to expand.
Superdrug plans to open 25 new branches in the coming months.
Beer giant Heineken has announced plans to invest £39m to help reopen 62 previously closed UK pubs.
Aldi has announced that it will open 35 new stores in the UK.
The opening is part of Aldi’s long-term target of 1,500 stores in the UK.
The supermarket is set to invest £550m in expanding its UK footprint this year alone.
Aldi said that each new store opening will create an average of around 40 new jobs.
Asda has opened hundreds of convenience stores in recent months as it looks to compete with major players Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
B&M plans to open “no fewer than” 45 brand new stores across the UK in each of the next two consecutive years.
The parent company of Bonmarché, Edinburgh Woolen Mill (EWM) and Peacocks, Purepay Retail Limited, has said it wants to open 100 new high street stores over the next 18 months.
It has not yet announced the exact locations where the 100 stores will open or when they will open.
One of Britain’s favorite bakery chains, Greggs, has exclusively revealed to The Sun plans to open more branches by the end of 2025.
Home Bargains, which operated just under 600 branches as of last June, said it wanted to “eventually open 800 to 1,000 retail stores”.
But the big discounter did not say when it wants to reach the 1,000-store target.
Primark is also opening new branches and investing in and renovating more than a dozen of its existing stores.
Screwfix is ​​set to open 40 new stores across the country as its owner, Kingfisher, looks to expand the DIY brand’s national presence.
The brand opened two new stores in March and another three new stores will open this month.
Tesco has revealed plans to open a further 70 stores across the UK over the next year as part of a major expansion plan.
WHSmith has focused on the travel side of its business and plans to open new locations at airports, train stations and hospitals.
Morrisons wants to open 400 Morrisons Daily stores as part of its plans to take over retail giants Aldi and Lidl.
The supermarket has set a target of opening 2,000 stores across the UK by 2025.
However, the exact list of locations has not yet been published.
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