Latest news with #DebbieBoylen
Scottish Sun
7 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Major charity retailer to close three stores starting from tomorrow after shutting 35 this year – see the full list
Read on to find out the full list of closures RETAIL BLOW Major charity retailer to close three stores starting from tomorrow after shutting 35 this year – see the full list A MAJOR charity shop chain is set to close three more of its stores starting from tomorrow. Disability charity Scope has confirmed its stores in Taunton, Bromley and Portsmouth are all closing this month. 1 Scope has had to shut down dozens of stores due to spiralling costs and lower footfall Credit: Alamy The charity previously announced it was considering shutting 77 of its 138 shops across the country. Its bosses said it had to make the difficult decision because of spiralling costs and fewer shoppers heading to the high street. The Taunton store is first to close and will be shutting its doors for good tomorrow. Shoppers responded to the news on Facebook, with one saying: "Oh, no - I've got lots of great bits from there." Another wrote: "Oh no really? That a, really good charity shop aswell." The store in Bromley closes on June 14 while the Portsmouth one is going on June 21. It means shoppers only have days left to grab final bargains from the stores. Debbie Boylen, head of retail at Scope, said: "Our shops have helped us raise vital income to support our work with disabled people and their families. "We know our teams put in their very best efforts, but our shops are collectively now losing money when taking account of all of their costs. "A number make strong profits but there are loss making shops too." Beloved department store chain shutting more locations with clearance sales on now until final May 25 deadline She said the charity had consulted on the proposals to shut 77 shops and had come to the "sad" decision about the Taunton, Bromley and Portsmouth stores. Boylen added: "We've had such incredible support from these wonderful and generous communities. We never take the decision to close our stores lightly. "We recognise for our colleagues and volunteers, it's more than just a job. "We know they feel passionately about playing their part in our work, creating an equal future with disabled people. "We will be doing everything we can to support them and our decision does not reflect their hard work and dedication to Scope." The news comes after Scope already shut 35 of its shops this year. It closed 11 stores between the end of March and the end of May. Full list of Scope closures in 2025 Closed before the end of the consultation in early March: Bexhill Hertford Mitcham Petersfield Scarborough Worthing Closed by March 31: Amersham Barking Bangor Birkenhead Bishop Auckland Castleford Devizes Dewsbury Eastbourne Haywards Heath Lewisham New Milton Orpington Parkstone Scunthorpe Shirley (Southampton) Skipton Workington Closed by May 31: Blyth Hove George Burton Erdington West Hampstead Exmouth Bury Newport Southampton (Portswood Road) Atherstone Welling What's happening at Scope? The charity is among scores of big chains facing trouble on the high street. Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said previously that its high street stores had been hit by shoppers increasingly turning to online shopping. On top of that, it has faced rising rents, soaring energy costs, increased staff costs, and lower customer spends. In its annual report for the year to March 2023, Scope said it had made £24million from trading activities, including shops and online sales, up from £23.6million the year before. In the same year it had spent £24.7million maintaining and operating its shops, £1million more than the previous year. Hodgkinson said Scope's shops had made a "real contribution to raising vital income" but external factors had "made trading harder". Scope wants to make sure its funds are not taken away from its charitable purpose, the boss said. The store closures have led to a number of job losses and also impacted volunteers.
The Sun
7 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Major charity retailer to close three stores starting in days after shutting 35 this year – see the full list
A MAJOR charity shop chain is set to close three more of its stores starting from tomorrow. Disability charity Scope has confirmed its stores in Taunton, Bromley and Portsmouth are all closing this month. 1 The charity previously announced it was considering shutting 77 of its 138 shops across the country. Its bosses said it had to make the difficult decision because of spiralling costs and fewer shoppers heading to the high street. The Taunton store is first to close and will be shutting its doors for good tomorrow. Shoppers responded to the news on Facebook, with one saying: "Oh, no - I've got lots of great bits from there." Another wrote: "Oh no really? That a, really good charity shop aswell." The store in Bromley closes on June 14 while the Portsmouth one is going on June 21. It means shoppers only have days left to grab final bargains from the stores. Debbie Boylen, head of retail at Scope, said: "Our shops have helped us raise vital income to support our work with disabled people and their families. "We know our teams put in their very best efforts, but our shops are collectively now losing money when taking account of all of their costs. "A number make strong profits but there are loss making shops too." Beloved department store chain shutting more locations with clearance sales on now until final May 25 deadline She said the charity had consulted on the proposals to shut 77 shops and had come to the "sad" decision about the Taunton, Bromley and Portsmouth stores. Boylen added: "We've had such incredible support from these wonderful and generous communities. We never take the decision to close our stores lightly. "We recognise for our colleagues and volunteers, it's more than just a job. "We know they feel passionately about playing their part in our work, creating an equal future with disabled people. "We will be doing everything we can to support them and our decision does not reflect their hard work and dedication to Scope." The news comes after Scope already shut 35 of its shops this year. It closed 11 stores between the end of March and the end of May. Full list of Scope closures in 2025 Closed before the end of the consultation in early March: Bexhill Hertford Mitcham Petersfield Scarborough Worthing Closed by March 31: Amersham Barking Bangor Birkenhead Bishop Auckland Castleford Devizes Dewsbury Eastbourne Haywards Heath Lewisham New Milton Orpington Parkstone Scunthorpe Shirley (Southampton) Skipton Workington Closed by May 31: Blyth Hove George Burton Erdington West Hampstead Exmouth Bury Newport Southampton (Portswood Road) Atherstone Welling What's happening at Scope? The charity is among scores of big chains facing trouble on the high street. Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said previously that its high street stores had been hit by shoppers increasingly turning to online shopping. On top of that, it has faced rising rents, soaring energy costs, increased staff costs, and lower customer spends. In its annual report for the year to March 2023, Scope said it had made £24million from trading activities, including shops and online sales, up from £23.6million the year before. In the same year it had spent £24.7million maintaining and operating its shops, £1million more than the previous year. Hodgkinson said Scope's shops had made a "real contribution to raising vital income" but external factors had "made trading harder". Scope wants to make sure its funds are not taken away from its charitable purpose, the boss said. The store closures have led to a number of job losses and also impacted volunteers. 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.
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Major charity retailer to close two stores in days after shutting 27 – see the full list of closures
A MAJOR charity retailer is closing two stores in days after shuttering 27 this year. Scope, which runs shops in England and Wales, is shutting branches in Exmouth and Bury on May 31. 1 Five other sites have closed this month, including in Blyth, Hove, Burton and Erdington. Scope has shut 27 stores already this year following a consultation which launched in January. Once the two in Exmouth and Bury close for good on Saturday, this will rise to a total of 29. These are the 27 stores that have closed since the start of March: Amersham Atherstone Barking Bangor Birkenhead Bishop Auckland Blyth Burton Castleford Devizes Dewsbury Eastbourne Erdington Haywards Heath Hove Lewisham New Milton Newport Orpington Parkstone Scunthorpe Shirley (Southampton) Southampton Skipton West Hampstead, London Welling Workington A further six branches have shut this year due their leases ending, however the locations of these stores have not been revealed. On top of the existing closures, Scope has said a further 35 of its stores will shut, bringing the total number of closures to 70. It has also confirmed another five shops are set to be close later this year, with a possible further two as well. This means potentially 77 Scope shops will close. The locations of these 42 stores or their closure dates are yet to be revealed. Britain's retail apocalypse: why your favourite stores KEEP closing down Debbie Boylen, head of retail at Scope, said: "We know our teams put in their very best efforts, but our shops are collectively now losing money when taking account of all of their costs. "A number make strong profits but there are loss making shops too. 'We never take the decision to close our stores lightly." Scope first launched the consultation to close dozens of its stores in January due to declining footfall and spiralling costs. Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said 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." Despite its challenges at high street branches, Scope's online sales have boomed in recent years. It saw online sales increase by 75% in 2023/24, up £1.2million on the year before. CHARITY RETAIL SECTOR STRUGGLES The retail sector has struggled in recent years, particular on the high street as shoppers head online to get their weekly bits. Households' budgets have also been squeezed by high inflation and soaring mortgage and rental costs. The charity retail sector is far from immune from these struggles, with bosses sounding the alarm last month. In a gloomy post in April, the Charity Retail Association's (CRA) board of directors said some of its members were reporting the "worst time for trading they have ever encountered". The CRA added some of its larger members were considering taking similar action to Scope and cutting down store estates. "There appears to be a bit of a perfect storm at the moment, with income being relatively flat, and cost pressures being almost unprecedented," they said. These cost pressures relate to an increase in employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs), the national minimum wage, rental and utility costs and waste disposal costs. In a recent survey carried out by the CRA of its members, 36% of respondents said they would look to reduce the number of paid staff on their books to tackle these increased costs. Meanwhile, 21% said they were looking at reducing store trading hours and 27%, over a quarter, stated they may have to close shops. .
The Sun
25-04-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Major charity shop chain to shut another store ahead of 47 more closing for good
A MAJOR charity shop chain has revealed it will shut down another store ahead of 47 more closing for good. Its branch in Kendal is due to close later this year, after its branch in neighbouring Workington closed earlier this year. 1 That leaves just one Scope branch in Cumbria in Windermere, which will remain open. The news has come as a blow to locals, who moaned: "It says something when the charity shops are failing." While another shopper cried: "Another closed shop on our main street, such a shame." Debbie Boylen, head of retail at disability equality charity Scope, said: "Our charity shop in Windermere remains profitable and will continue to trade. "We're very sad to confirm, our charity shop in Kendal will be closing, with the date is to be confirmed. " She added: "Our Workington charity shop closed in March 2025. We've had such incredible support from the wonderful and generous communities. We never take the decision to close our stores lightly. " Scope, a disability charity in England and Wales, warned back in January that it could close a number of its 138 stores. At the time, the charity's bosses said the decision was being considered in the face of declining footfall on high streets and spiralling costs. Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said external factors had 'made trading harder'. The chain has faced rising rents, soaring energy costs, increased staff costs and the cost of living squeezing customers. Pull&Bear Opens New Flagship Store at Silverburn: Fashion Fans Celebrate in Glasgow! It comes as the charity has already closed four locations this month across Newport, Southampton, Atherstone and Welling. Five stores will also be closing down in May, with the locations yet to be revealed. This is on top of 18 closures made in March, which are listed below: Amersham Barking Bangor Birkenhead Bishop Auckland Castleford Devizes Dewsbury Eastbourne Haywards Heath Lewisham New Milton Orpington Parkstone Scunthorpe Shirley (Southampton) Skipton Workington These are the six shops that closed during the consultation period: Bexhill Hertford Mitcham Petersfield Scarborough Worthing TROUBLE ON THE HIGH STREET Plenty of other discount and charity shops are struggling as shoppers have less cash to part with at the till. In March, Poundland's parent company, Pepco, enlisted advisory firm Teneo to oversee the potential sale of its UK business. The decision followed Pepco's announcement that it is exploring "all strategic options" to separate Poundland from its portfolio of brands. The Polish-based group had hinted that it may shift its focus towards its more profitable operations across Europe. It is gearing up to close a handful of stores this May. The Centre for Retail Research's latest analysis suggests 13,479 stores, the equivalent of 37 each day, shut for good in 2024. Of those, 11,341 were independent shops while 2,138 were shut by larger retailers. The data also showed over half the stores that closed last year were shut due to the store or retailer going through insolvency proceedings. This is when formal measures are taken to deal with tackling a business's debt. 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."
Scottish Sun
25-04-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Major charity shop chain to shut another store ahead of 47 more closing for good
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAJOR charity shop chain has revealed it will shut down another store ahead of 47 more closing for good. Its branch in Kendal is due to close later this year, after its branch in neighbouring Workington closed earlier this year. 1 Scope is closing down a number of stores Credit: Alamy That leaves just one Scope branch in Cumbria in Windermere, which will remain open. The news has come as a blow to locals, who moaned: "It says something when the charity shops are failing." While another shopper cried: "Another closed shop on our main street, such a shame." Debbie Boylen, head of retail at disability equality charity Scope, said: "Our charity shop in Windermere remains profitable and will continue to trade. "We're very sad to confirm, our charity shop in Kendal will be closing, with the date is to be confirmed. " She added: "Our Workington charity shop closed in March 2025. We've had such incredible support from the wonderful and generous communities. We never take the decision to close our stores lightly. " Scope, a disability charity in England and Wales, warned back in January that it could close a number of its 138 stores. At the time, the charity's bosses said the decision was being considered in the face of declining footfall on high streets and spiralling costs. Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said external factors had 'made trading harder'. The chain has faced rising rents, soaring energy costs, increased staff costs and the cost of living squeezing customers. Pull&Bear Opens New Flagship Store at Silverburn: Fashion Fans Celebrate in Glasgow! It comes as the charity has already closed four locations this month across Newport, Southampton, Atherstone and Welling. Five stores will also be closing down in May, with the locations yet to be revealed. This is on top of 18 closures made in March, which are listed below: Amersham Barking Bangor Birkenhead Bishop Auckland Castleford Devizes Dewsbury Eastbourne Haywards Heath Lewisham New Milton Orpington Parkstone Scunthorpe Shirley (Southampton) Skipton Workington These are the six shops that closed during the consultation period: Bexhill Hertford Mitcham Petersfield Scarborough Worthing TROUBLE ON THE HIGH STREET Plenty of other discount and charity shops are struggling as shoppers have less cash to part with at the till. In March, Poundland's parent company, Pepco, enlisted advisory firm Teneo to oversee the potential sale of its UK business. The decision followed Pepco's announcement that it is exploring "all strategic options" to separate Poundland from its portfolio of brands. The Polish-based group had hinted that it may shift its focus towards its more profitable operations across Europe. It is gearing up to close a handful of stores this May. The Centre for Retail Research's latest analysis suggests 13,479 stores, the equivalent of 37 each day, shut for good in 2024. Of those, 11,341 were independent shops while 2,138 were shut by larger retailers. The data also showed over half the stores that closed last year were shut due to the store or retailer going through insolvency proceedings. This is when formal measures are taken to deal with tackling a business's debt.
