A MAJOR high street fashion chain with 200 stores is set to close a town centre branch today after launching a huge 70% off sale.
Bonmarche is closing its Scarborough branch today, September 14, in a blow to shoppers.
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The shop is part of the Brunswick Centre, which is shuttering stores as part of a major redevelopment.
Hundreds of shoppers took to social media to share their disappointment at the news.
In a post on Facebook one said: “It’s a shame it’s not relocating. Poor staff.”
Meanwhile another added: “I hope Bonmarche find somewhere in the town centre as they are a great shop and sell really nice clothes.”
Read more on store closures
While a third person said: “We won’t have any shops left soon.”
The closure comes after the store launched a huge clearance sale where shoppers could snap up bargains for a fraction of the price.
A spokesperson for Bonmarche previously told The Sun: “Unfortunately, Bonmarche has no choice but to move as the Brunswick Centre in Scarborough is closing down.
“But we love Scarborough and are actively on the hunt for a new location in the local area.”
Several other shops have shut due to the redevelopment of the shopping centre, which will be renamed SQ1.
The centre, which features 31 outlets, is set to shut for good on September 17 after more than three decades in the town.
It is hoped that the redevelopment will attract more visitors and deliver long-term benefits for local people, businesses and the wider community.
Among the stores shutting is New Look, which closed its doors for the last time on September 5.
A spokesperson for the chain said: “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.”
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.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April 2025, 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.
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.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko 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.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
Other shops that were previously in the Brunswick Centre have been forced to relocate due to the closure.
But The Fragrance Shop, Holland & Barrett, Toyland and Nomination have all moved to new locations in Scarborough town centre.
Meanwhile, the Next shop has relocated to a larger store on Seamer Road.
What is happening on the high street?
Several brands have been forced to shutter shops this year after running costs soared.
Charity shop chain Scope closed three stores last weekend after shuttering more than 50 shops this year.
The closures come after a consultation process earlier this year.
In total, the chain is considering shutting 77 of its 138 shops across the country.
The Original Factory Shop has also closed a string of stores this year.
Among them is its shop in Inverness, which has launched a 50% off closing down sale.
Meanwhile, New Look has shut scores of stores after it called in advisers to carry out a strategic review of the fashion chain.
It is not clear how long the process could take.
The chain has previously warned that it would close nearly 100 stores ahead of the National Insurance hikes which came into force in April.
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