A MAJOR high street chain is closing one of its branches in weeks as a closing down sale is launched and with eight other shops set to shut.
The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) is pulling down the shutters on the site on June 28 with shoppers left gutted.
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The location in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, will welcome in customers for the final time in weeks after opening two years ago.
Shoppers can now get up to 30% off on a host of products including homeware, electricals and storage.
In a post on Facebook, TOFS said: “It’s with great sadness to announce, but the rumours are true!
“The store will be closing its doors for the last time on June 28.
Read more on Store Closures
“It’s been a pleasure bringing you all the great deals over the last two years, getting to know our regulars.
“We ask you to be mindful, respectful to the team as you can imagine we are all devastated, but please come say hi.”
News of the closure has not been met well by locals and customers, with one commenting: “I love this shop and the staff are amazing.
“So sorry for you all.”
Another chipped in: “Absolutely gutted. I get loads of stuff in there. So sad about this.”
Meanwhile, a third added: “That didn’t last long. What a shame.”
It comes as TOFS gears up to shut eight more stores weeks after saying it may be forced to shut branches and lay off staff.
Branches in Abroath (Scotland), Kidwelly (Scotland), Pershore and Normanton are all set to shut permanently on June 28.
Meanwhile, stores in Peterhead (Scotland) and Staveley will close in June and on July 12, respectively.
Sites in Shaftesbury and Milford Haven (Wales), are also both shuttering, with closure dates yet to be revealed.
List of The Original Factory Shop stores to close
- Arbroath, Angus – June 28
- Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire – June 28
- Pershore, Worcestershire – June 28
- Normanton, West Yorkshire – June 28
- Chester-le-Street, County Durham – June 28
- Peterhead, Aberdeenshire – June
- Staveley, Cumbria – July 12
- Shaftesbury, Dorset – no date given
- Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire – no date given
The Sun has reached out to TOFS to comment on the Chester-le-Street closure and find out if any other branches are shutting over the coming months and we will update this story when we’ve heard back.
What’s happening with The Original Factory Shop?
TOFS was bought by Modella Capital in February which has since launched a restructuring effort to renegotiate rents at 88 of the retail chain’s stores.
Modella, a private equity firm, is known for taking on struggling retailers, having recently acquired Hobbycraft and WHSmith‘s high street shops.
For Hobbycraft, Modella brought in advisers to look at potential options including a CVA.
Meanwhile it is set to rebrand all WHSmith high street stores to TGJones.
Modella drew up plans to initiate a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) for TOFS at the end of April.
A CVA is a way of restructuring that means a business can continue trading while negotiating its debts, for example by cutting rent costs with landlords.
A TOFS spokesperson previously told The Press and Journal a “number of loss-making stores will have to close” as part of the CVA.
They continued: “Closing stores is always a tough decision and we are committed to keeping as many stores open as possible.
“This is, however, dependent on successful negotiations with landlords as we strive to build a sustainable and successful business for the future.”
The Original Factory shop has already shuttered more than a dozen stores over the past 12 months.
These are the locations that closed in 2024:
- Brightlingsea, Essex
- Bodmin, Cornwall
- Chepstow, Wales
- Fakenham, Norfolk
- Harwich, Essex
- Mildenhall, Suffolk
- Padiham, Lancashire
- Taunton, Somerset
- Deal, Kent
- Haverfordwest, Wales
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