HIGH street shoppers are faced with further store closures over the coming weeks amid fears for Britain’s struggling town centres.
Big name brands are axing hundreds of stores across the country with many launching huge closing sales in the process.
It comes after well-loved names have collapsed into administration this year or been forced to shut stores.
The likes of Poundland, New Look, Sports Direct and The Original Factory Shop are among the businesses pulling down the shutters this month.
Here are all the closures we know of…
Poundland
Poundland has been shutting locations in recent months as part of a major restructuring plan to save the chain.
The chain had 800 stores at the start of the restructure process but will soon have between 650 and 700 stores left.
Many of these stores have already gone but on November 14 its Sidcup will join the list.
The store has reductions of up to 40%, with items marked down in price until they’re sold.
Poundland, which employs more than 14,000 staff, has struggled financially in recent years.
Its new owner, Gordon Brothers, bought the chain for £1 in June, revealing plans to invest £90million to rescue the business.
New Look
New Look is expected to close a further 11 sites before the end of the year.
Although not all locations are yet known, the business has confirmed that its store in Lewes, Sussex will be closing its doors this month.
A New Look spokesperson said: “Our store in Lewes is set close on November 8.
“We would like to thank all of our colleagues and the local community for their support over the years. We hope customers continue to shop with us online at newlook.com, where our full product ranges can be found.”
The brand has already closed down nine stores across the UK since the start of the year,
In total the chain said it will close around 100 stores following National Insurance hikes and other factors.
Sites where leases are up for renewal are at risk, according to reports.
Claire’s Accessories
High street favourite Claire’s Accessories is set to close 145 stores for good after tumbling into administration in September.
Exact dates haven’t been given but it’s thought many of these closures will start taking place towards the end of November and then throughout December.
The retailer has kicked off a final clearance sales across closing stores with up to 30% off.
You can check the graphic bellow to find out if your local is among those closing down.
Ann’s Cottage
Shoppers have just days left to visit a top surf store in Falmouth, Cornwall before it closes its doors for good on Sunday, November 9.
Ann’s Cottage was founded in 1978 by Rob and Beverley Harris, and started as a surfboard and wetsuit shop attached to a petrol station.
The company’s name came from the building it was housed in, and soon became integral with Cornish culture.
But now the store has put a note thanking staff and customers for their support over the years, and said promised that this “isn’t goodbye, but see you soon”.
The notice reads: “After many wonderful years, we’re sadly closing our Falmouth store.
“We want to express our deepest gratitude to all our amazing customers for their loyalty and support over the years.
“It’s been a privilege to be part of this community, and we’re especially thankful to our fabulous Falmouth team for all their dedication and hard work.”
This latest closure comes just months after the chain closed another of its stores, in Wadebridge.
There are now just seven Ann’s Cottage locations left in the county.
Quality Discount
After four decades in Norwich, Quality Discounts is closing its store there at the end of November, blaming redevelopment and a lack of parking in the town.
The discount chain moved to the spot in Magdalen Street from Anglia Square, which had been the first ever QD shop opened in 1985.
The business went on to become a national brand with more than 50 shops across the country.
The closure comes amid a loss of nearby parking, as well as redevelopment happening in the town.
A spokesperson for QD said: “This is an incredibly sad day for everyone connected with QD.
“Norwich isn’t just another city to us, it’s where our story began, where we built our name and where generations of families have shopped with us for years.
“We’ve always felt part of the community and it’s heartbreaking to say goodbye for now.”
The announcement comes after a series of challenges linked to the ongoing redevelopment of Anglia Square.
The spokesperson added: “We recognise that the redevelopment will eventually transform this part of Norwich into a vibrant new destination and we look forward to seeing that vision realised.
“Unfortunately, during this transition period, the reduction in accessibility and parking has made it impossible for us to trade effectively.”
Wetherspoon
It’s not just shops that are feeling the pressure.
Many pubs are closing locals too. Wetherspoons is closing pubs this month in a blow to punters.
The Water Gate in Barnstaple will close on November 9, while the Baxter’s Court in Hackney will shutter on November 2.
Fans of the London pub have been left heartbroken by the news, with one branding it “utterly ridiculous”.
They said: “This part of North London is hardly blessed with many Spoons to begin with.”
While another said: “What a shame. used to go there loads in college loved the ‘roof terrace’ upstairs.”
Both pubs, along with four others, were placed up for sale by Wetherspoons in June.
- The Babington Arms – Derby
- Kentish Drovers, Peckham
- The Grey Friar, Preston
- The William Jameson, Sunderland
The pubs will continue trading as Spoons until they’re sold.
The chain has been offloading some of its smaller or older pubs over the last couple of years, but in good news for pud goers the chain has continued to open other sites.
Last month the group signed a new franchise agreement with The Papas Group, a family-owned business.
As part of the deal, the chain will open 15 new sites.
That includes a new pub at Gateway Park, Lincoln, on the site of a former Gateway Park Brewers Fayre.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
