A DOZEN stores are set to close in the coming weeks, in a fresh blow to the UK high street.
Shoppers have been hit with a swathe of closures in recent years, seeing some of their favourite chains shutter sites.
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A dozen stores are closing in JuneCredit: Getty
The cost of living crisis has seen households with less money in their pockets, leading some to cut back on their spending.
This has had a knock-on effect on high street shops, which have seen lower footfall and less money landing in the tills, and many have been forced to close outlets.
That, coupled with ongoing restructuring plans and high rents, has meant several chains have shuttered hundreds of sites.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research, a research foundation, revealed almost 10,500 shops closed for the final time in 2023.
The 12-month period also saw over 119,000 jobs lost across the sector.
This month will be no different, with at least a dozen stores closing their doors for the last time.
Of course, it’s not all bad news though, in some cases the branches will be replaced with bigger and better shops.
We reveal which sites are pulling down the shutters one final time in June.
Britain’s retail apocalypse: why your favourite stores KEEP closing down
B&M
Beloved discount chain B&M is shuttering two of its shops in the coming weeks.
The B&M in Oldham’s Spindles Shopping Centre store will close on Saturday, June 22.
But locals won’t need to wait for long to get their bargains because the new branch in the same shopping centre will open at its new site: Wednesday, June 26.
Elsewhere, the B&M Bulwell store is moving from its current location to its new home at 36/48 Main Street, which is a former Wilko.
The current shop will shut on Friday, June 7, and the new one will pull up the shutters at its new site on Wednesday, June 12.
It comes after last month the discount chain shuttered its shop in Harpurhey.
The store relocated to a bigger and better unit just next door to the current one.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
Boss Stuart Machin recently said that when it relocated a tired store in Chesterfield to a new big store in a retail park half a mile away, its sales in the area rose by 103 per cent.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
WHSmith
WHSmith is closing its store in Boscombe after it decided it is no longer sustainable to continue trading from them.
The Boscombe store has been on the Christchurch high street for more than 12 years but it is due to close its doors for good on Saturday, June 8.
Locals took to Facebook to share their disappointment at hearing the “sad” news.
One user said: “We’ve lost what’s good in this town.”
“Awful for our town, nothing left soon,” another said.
A third user said: “50% off at WHSmith at the moment, so sad.”
“RIP to the high street,” said a fourth user.
A spokesperson for WHSmith told The Sun: “It is no longer sustainable to continue to trade from this location and the decision has been taken to close the store as a result of the lease expiring.”
B&Q
B&Q is set to shut an “essential ” store within weeks – and the exact date has been revealed.
Shoppers in Sutton, South London, will soon need to find an alternative DIY retailer as the chain is set to close its store in the town on Saturday, June 8.
Writing in the Google reviews, locals have described the store as “excellent”, “helpful” and with staff who go “above and beyond”.
Shoppers have flocked to social media to share their sadness over the decision to close the site.
One Facebook user said: “Very disappointing to see.”
Another cried: “That’s a big loss for residents in Sutton.”
A B&Q spokesperson said: “Due to unsuccessful negotiations to renew the lease at our Sutton Court Road store, we will be closing our doors on June 8, 2024.”
M&S
Posh shop M&S is closing two of its sites this month too.
Shoppers in Glasgow won’t be able to visit the store in Newton Mearns foodhall from June 15 as it prepares to close for a refurbishment.
Regular visitors have flocked to social media to share their excitement over the prospect of a new look store.
One Facebook user said: “Sounds like a good idea!”
Another wrote: “What a delight.”
Fans have described the shop as “delightful” with “helpful and friendly staff” in its Google reviews.
Following the refurbishment, the store will have several new features including a bakery, new click-and-collect facilities, cheese barge and a dedicated flower shop and wine shop.
An exact date for the store’s reopening is yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to take place later in the summer.
M&S first said it was looking to shutter its Walworth store back in March, leaving shoppers “devastated.”
Now it has been confirmed the shop will be pulling down the shutters for the last time on June 8.
The popular site has been serving locals for 111 years and the news has come as a shock to the community.
Gordon Scott, M&S regional manager, said: “After consulting with our colleagues, we have informed them of the closure and our priority now is continuing individual discussions about what this decision means for them. Wherever possible, we will offer them alternative roles with M&S.”
Mr Scott went on to add that M&S is rotating its store estate to make sure it has the “right stores with the right space” to offer customers a “brilliant shopping experience”.
Clarks
Beloved high street staple Clarks will be closing the doors on two shops this month too.
Clarks is pulling down the shutters on its branch in Stroud, Gloucestershire, on Monday, June 3.
The store in the town’s high street will close for good this summer with the staff undergoing “consultation”.
A spokesperson for the company previously told The Sun: “We’ll be delighted to continue to serve them with our full range of products online and at our nearby Clarks stores in Cheltenham and Cirencester, as well as at our outlet store at the Gloucester Quays.”
Shoppers were quick to weigh in with their opinions on social media after the announcement.
One wrote on Facebook: “This is so sad! Always got my child’s shoes from here.”
Another commented: “This is such a shame there are not going to be any shoe shops in Stroud or clothes shops.”
Its Maidenhead store will also shut in June 2024, but no date has been given yet.
Poundland
Poundland took over the former Wilko site in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, last October after Wilko went into administration.
But now the discount retailer is shuttering the location on George Street in the Stamford Quarter after just eight months.
Poundland previously closed a branch at the other end of George Street in early 2023.
Signs have gone up saying: “Sorry. We’re closing 17th June. Visit our website for other nearby stores.”
A spokesperson for Poundland said the firm had been unable to agree a new lease with the landlord.
He said: “Sadly we’ve been unable to agree lease terms that would enable us to keep the store trading.
“The store’s is currently planned to close on 17 June.
“Whenever we have to close a store, it goes without saying we do all we can to find alternative roles for colleagues.”
Scope
A big charity shop chain with over 190 branches in the UK has decided to close down one of its stores for the last time today.
Described as a “wonderful” charity outlet by saddened shoppers, the branch based in the West Midlands announced it will be permanently locking its doors on June 1.
Scope made the shocking decision to shut their shop in St Swithin’s Street, Worcester, after they were unable to renew the lease on the building.
The beloved shop has been a staple on the high street for over 15 years and is run by a dedicated team of helpful volunteers.
Debbie Boylen, Scope’s Head of Retail, said the charity was “extremely sad” to be closing.
She added: “Our team in Worcester has really loved serving the community and we’d all like to thank the incredibly generous customers for their wonderful support over the years.”
The closure means the nearest Scope shop is now 13 miles away at 25 Market Street in Stourbridge.
Scope confirmed the closure to The Sun saying: “Yes, our Worcester shop will close on Saturday 1, June due to not being able to renew the lease.
“However yesterday, we opened one of our new look shops in Leeds City Centre on Kirkgate.”
New Look
New Look is pulling down the shutters on its branch in Perth, Scotland in a matter of days.
A spokesperson for the chain confirmed the news, adding the site will welcome in customers for the last time on June 4.
Shoppers have been left gutted after finding out the store, which sells men’s, women’s and kidswear and is known by some customers for its “bargain” prices, will close for good.
One said: “Boom another one bites the dust.”
Meanwhile, a second added: “Sadly this is happening in many places. If people don’t use the stores retailers will leave.”
It comes after New Look closed a string of other stores across the UK in a blow for fashionistas.
It closed its outlet store in Leigh on May 8 in a blow for the high street.
But it is by no means all bad news for the retailer as it has been opening branches across the UK too.
Lidl
Lidl has announced its store in Barnstaple, Devon, will close for the final time in June.
The Barnstaple branch has served locals in the area for almost 25 years.
Residents have also been shopping at two other branches in the town where staff will be redeployed where possible, according to Lidl.
A spokesperson for the German-owned retailer said: “We can confirm that the lease of our store on Station Rd is coming to an end, and it has been proposed that the store, which first opened its doors almost a quarter of a century ago, will close at the end of June.
“However, residents can be assured that they will still be able to access our great value products at our newer, much larger Gratton Way store and also our store on Old Station Road, both of which are close by.”
The locals will miss the store greatly after one shopper called it a “good place to shop”.
“It is really well stocked with great products,” said another.
A third added: “Staff is absolutely marvellous.”
What else is happening on the high street?
The high street has been hit hard in recent years as consumers turn to online retail.
High energy and wage costs and business rates have further piled pressure on stores, forcing many to close sites to save money.
A number of major brands have shockingly crashed into administration since last year, including beloved home retailer Wilko and Paperchase.
This year, The Body Shop also fell into administration which has seen dozens of branches already close.
Other retailers have been closing shops in a bid to cut costs.
Last June, Boots said it would be shutting 300 of its 2,200 stores in areas where it already operates one nearby.
Superdry announced plans to close eight of its 104 UK branches last July as part of a £35million cost-cutting project.
But it’s not all doom and gloom.
Discount giant B&M has opened 27 branches this year, while Aldi has its eyes set on opening hundreds more stores in the coming years.
DIY chain Screwfix is also set to open dozens of branches as its owner Kingfisher looks to expand its nationwide presence.
And Lidl is eyeing up potential sites where it is keen to open shops.
Retailers opening stores
IT’S not all bad news on the high street as several retailers are bucking the trend and opening shops.
- German discounter Aldi has announced it will open 35 new UK stores this year. The openings form part of Aldi’s long-term target of operating 1,500 stores in the UK.
- Asda has been opening hundreds of convenience stores as it looks to rival major players Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
- Purepay Retail Limited , the parent company of Bonmarché, Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) and Peacocks, Purepay Retail Limited, has said it wants to open 100 new high street stores over the next 18 months.
- Home Bargains has said it wants to “eventually have between 800 and 1,000 retail outlets open”.
- Primark is also opening new branches and investing and renovating more than a dozen of its existing shops.
- Screwfix is set to open 40 new stores nationwide as its owner, Kingfisher, seeks to expand the DIY brand’s national presence.
- Tesco has revealed plans to open 70 more stores across the UK over the next year as part of major expansion plans.
- WHSmith has turned its focus to the travel side of its business, with plans to open new sites in airports, railway stations and hospitals.
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