High street chain to close three shops TODAY ahead of 77 branches shutting for good – check the full list

A MAJOR charity shop chain is closing three more sites today as 77 branches in total face the axe.

Scope, which has 138 stores across England and Wales, has already shut more than 50 shops this year.

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Meanwhile, its shops in Bishop’s Stortford, Huntingdon and Newmarket will shut today, September 6.

And stores in Beverley and Fleet will close for good on September 27.

It comes after its Alton branch closed on August 30.

Scope has been shutting branches since early March following a consultation process earlier this year.

This included six closures before the end of the consultation, a further 18 before March 31 and 11 more by May 31.

A final set of closures followed this summer as ten stores shut for good by June 29, one closed on July 19 and four were axed by August 19.

In total the chain is considering shutting 77 of its 138 shops across the country.

Debbie Boylen, head of retail at disability equality charity Scope, previously said:  “We never take the decision to close our stores lightly. 

“We recognise that for our colleagues and volunteers, it’s more than just a job.

“We know they feel passionately about playing their part in our work to create an equal future with disabled people, and our decision does not reflect their hard work or dedication to Scope.”

She added that Scope continues to have a future on the high street and its shops will continue to be a place where the charity directly engages with local communities.

What’s happening at Scope?

Scope first launched a consultation to close dozens of its stores in January due to declining footfall and spiralling costs.

Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said at the time that the charity’s retail arm had made a “real contribution to raising vital income” but external factors had “made trading harder”.

He added: “This situation isn’t confined to Scope. All retailers have been hit with a greater shift to online shopping.

“And we are facing rising rents, soaring energy costs, increased staff costs, and the cost of living squeezing customers.”

In its annual report for the year to March 2024, Scope said it had made £24million from trading activities, up from £23.6million in the year before.

But in the same year it spent £24.7million maintaining and operating its shops, £1million more than in the previous year.

Scope began to shutter stores this year in order to focus on its most profitable shops.

A number of loss-making shops have since been closed, which has led to a number of job losses.

Scope isn’t the only charity shop chain closing branches.

In June, Cancer Research confirmed it would shut its Plymoth location later that month after serving customers for 35 years.

Meanwhile, Oxfam closed its much-loved bookshop in Shropshire in April.

And the British Heart Foundation brought down the shutters of its branch in the Grange Shopping Centre in Teeside in March after 30 years.