A MAJOR charity chain with over 600 stores has confirmed it will shut one of its beloved high street branches in weeks.
Cancer Research UK has announced it would be closing its Plymoth location this month after 35 years of serving the local community.
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Cancer Research in Stoke, Plymoth is shutting up shop for the last time on June 21.
The decision was made in March with bosses saying the store was “no longer a financially viable option”.
A charity spokesperson said: “This decision was not taken lightly, as we understand the significant impact a shop closure can have on the community.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that we are using charity funds effectively and efficiently to maximise our contribution to life-saving research.
“Whilst we explore all avenues before making the decision to close a shop, unfortunately, the Stoke (Plymouth) shop was no longer a financially viable option.”
They thanked the staff and volunteers for having been “powerful ambassadors” for the charity.
Locals have been left heartbroken at the news with Councillor Jemima Laing calling the shop “part of the fabric of life” in the community.
She told BBC: “People have described it [the shop] to me as a ‘hub’ which is so much more than a shop and offers a listening ear to people, often grieving, as they drop off their donations.”
The shop has put out a notice board with the bittersweet message from the staff.
The sign read: “Our last day of trading will be Saturday, 21st June, which is a very sad for myself, my wonderful volunteers and of course you, our customers.
“In the meantime please continue to support the shop, the only charity shop in the village!”
Customers can also leave goodbye messages in the book at the store before it closes for good.
It comes as another charity is set to close 77 branches this year with the majority already shut.
Disability charity Scope, which has locations in England and Wales, revealed they have been struggling financially.
The closures were first announced in January as part of a move that could see 138 of the brand’s stores ceasing operation.
Bosses explained the chain has experienced declining footfall and increasing costs, including higher rents as well as staff costs and energy bills.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
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.”
Professor Bamfield has also 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.”
