Latest news with #Eastleigh
The Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Sun
Poundland to close city shopping centre store in HOURS as 200 branches face risk of shutting for good
POUNDLAND is set to close one of its shopping centre stores in hours as 200 branches face the risk of shutting for good. The value supermarket is set to shut up shop in Southampton city centre as shoppers scramble to find the next nearest location. 1 Poundland in West Quay Retail Park will shut its store for good tomorrow but the store on Above Bar Street will operate as normal. It comes as up to 200 other branches face closure, risking thousands of jobs. A spokesperson for Poundland told the Daily Echo that the brand "constantly" reviews its stores as "leases expire or come up for renewal". They said: "In Southampton we're consolidating our presence in the city at our Above Bar Street store that's only half a mile away. "We'd obviously like to thank customers for their support at West Quay and look forward to welcoming them to Above Bar Street." On Saturday afternoon, a customer reported seeing empty shelves on his visit to Poundland. He also recounted how he had overhead an employee saying they would need to travel to another store. Once the West Quay site closes, seven Poundland stores will remain across Southampton, Eastleigh and Totton. In March, residents were asked if the bargain store would be missed with one saying the closure was "another good" brand "that's gone down" in the city centre. They feared there would only "be hairdressers left" if stores kept on shutting their doors in the area. Another said Poundland would be sorely missed by a lot of locals if it were to also close its Above Bar Street store. 'I know for a fact that there's a lot of elderly people who go in there for a deal, my parents included,' they said. 'I think it's one of those shops you always think of as a good budget choice and I think the bargains you can get there would be missed by others and by me." The news comes as the bargain chain will also be closing branches in Bristol and Flint this month. The shop in Union Gate, Bristol, will merge with two others nearby in Horsefair and the Broadmead Shopping Centre. Poundland to be sold for JUST £1 as frontrunner for shock takeover is revealed after wave of store closures Eight stores have closed since the start of May including in Liverpool and Ipswich, while 12 in total have shut since March last year. Five more are earmarked for closure from June 11. It was also announced that three branches will close across Filton, London and Cowes last month. And the Chiswick High road store closed for good on Wednesday, May 28. Full list of Poundland store closures: This is the full list of stores that have closed, or are set to close in the coming months: Connswater Shopping Centre, Belfast – closed March 2024 Macclesfield – closed August, 2024 Maidenhead – closed October, 2024 Sutton Coldfield – closed October, 2024 Clapham Junction Station, London – closed May 2 Belle Vale Shopping Centre, Liverpool – closed May 6 St George's Centre, Gravesend – closed May 8 Southwark Park Road – closed May 14 Copdock Mill Interchange, Ipswich – closed May 20 Brackla, Wales – closed May 24 Chiswick High Road – closed May 28 Filton Abbeywood – closed May 31 Surrey Quays – closing June 11 Union Gate, Bristol - closing June 20 Flint - closing June 21 Cowes, Isle of Wight – closing July (exact date tbc) Newquay, August 1 What is happening with Poundland? The owner of Poundland, Pepco, is reportedly eyeing up a sale of its UK retail arm for £1, with up to 200 shops potentially closing as part of the process. Bidding for the business started last month, with Gordon Brothers, the ex-owner of Laura Ashley, and Homebase owner Hilco reported to be in a two way race. A decision on who the preferred bidder is could be announced in the coming days. Pepco said it expects the sale of Poundland in the UK to complete by September. In April, it was reported advisory firm Teneo was drafted in to oversee the sale of the UK business. It comes after Pepco said it was looking at"all strategic options" to separate Poundland from its brand. Pepco previously warned that upcoming hikes to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and national minimum wage would significantly add to its costs. Late last year, it was revealed that profits at Poundland also tumbled by £641million in the year to September, with bosses again blaming slow sales amid a poor outlook thanks to measures set out by Reeves. A spokesperson also said the huge loss was "due to a non-cash impairment at Poundland that relates to the acquisition of the UK chain in 2016". 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. 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."
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Park gate sliced toddler's finger ‘like guillotine', says mother
A three-year-old boy had had part of his finger amputated after a park gate sliced it off 'like a guillotine', his mother said. Tommy Warley was running ahead of his family when his limb got stuck in the entrance to Conduct Gardens in Eastleigh, Hampshire last Tuesday. Ms Warley said that the gate moved backwards 180 degrees, trapping the three-year-old's finger as his mother, Rose-Marie, looked on in horror. She said there was 'so much blood' and that her son began screaming as he realised what was happening. The 34-year-old mother took her son to Southampton General Hospital where more than half of his middle finger on his right hand had to be amputated. Now, Ms Warley is calling for Eastleigh Borough Council to change the gate to one with a 'safer closing mechanism'. She said: 'There was so much blood everywhere, and his finger was attached to the gate. 'A neighbour had to wrap it in a tea towel and give it to us so we could take it to the hospital. 'Tommy was screaming, and we took him to Southampton General Hospital. '[The gate] is a guillotine, and should have a stopping mechanism or a slow closure in place. 'I want the council to change the gates, and when they will do that, I don't know.' 'Things will be more difficult for him' The mother added that her son is currently struggling to carry out activities before the shocking accident and it will have a 'long-term impact' on the young child. 'He loves playing with cars, being in sand and water, and playing football, and those things will be more difficult for him especially as he is right-handed,' she said. 'Having all your fingers helps with co-ordination and grip, but that is restricted for him now. 'Tommy also has special educational needs (SEND), so this will impact him in the long-term.' 'Very upsetting' The council has since launched an investigation into the incident and said they were 'very sorry' to hear about the incident. A spokesperson said: 'We're very sorry to hear that a young child was hurt at Conduct Gardens and understand this must be very upsetting for the family. 'We're in touch with them and are looking into exactly what happened. 'Council staff visited the site straight away and have made sure that the area is safe.'
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
River Hamble visitors warned over toxic blue-green algae
Visitors are being advised to avoid contact with the water in a river over fears it could contain toxic blue-green bacteria, which can be harmful to humans, has been reported along the River Hamble in Hampshire, Eastleigh Borough Council said. The Environment Agency (EA) has warned that the algae can be fatal to animals if ingested, and people are being urged not to allow their dogs to enter the tends to appear after warm weather and can cause skin irritation, rashes, blisters, eye irritation, nausea and diarrhoea According to the EA areas where there is a bloom will have water that appears less clear and may look green, blue-green or greenish-brown. Scums can form during calm weather when several bloom forming species rise to the surface, which can look like paint, mousse or small advises people to contact the EA if they suspect an area to have blue-green algae. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Allington Lane garden centre fears over Southern Water works
A garden nursery owner has said he could be forced to close because of the impact of sewer works on a nearby housing Goodridge said work by Southern Water for the One Horton Heath project in Fair Oak, near Eastleigh, resulted in flooding in believes roadworks near the entrance to his business also put off potential customers, which led to a legal dispute with the water firm.A Southern Water spokesperson said they had been in "regular contact" with Mr Goodridge and had made a goodwill payment. Mr Goodridge's business is based in Allington Lane, just down the road from the One Horton Heath development, where 2,500 homes and a school need connecting to sewers. Works were ongoing through Decemeber and the Allington Lane Nursery owner claims Southern Water caused flooding by blocking gullies with pipes. Mr Goodridge said this flooding damaged his stocks of garden furniture, fireworks and fertiliser. The water firm has recently completed urgent gas works in the road, during which time there was a legal dispute over access to Mr Goodridge's land."Our savings have all gone into this now, because we've had to put the money in," he explained."There is an element of risk that it could not survive. I feel like, what's the point in coming down in the mornings, what's the point in getting up early? "You're just fighting a brick wall, if it carries on like this we're going to be dumping tens of thousands of plants." A Southern Water spokesperson said the firm understood work "can be disruptive to customers" and a member of the team would be meeting with Mr Goodridge in the next added: "After lengthy negotiations and following urgent gas works, we began our works on 7 April and completed on 2 May. "We apologise for the extended length of time involved, and made a goodwill payment to Mr Goodridge as a result."Mr Goodridge has denied this statement and said he has not received an interim said he fears the "damage has already been done" and is meeting with his accountant to find out if his business can remain viable. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Sunday World
29-04-2025
- Sunday World
Shocking moment football fan cowardly punches an elderly man
24-year-old Samuel Grant was today jailed for the attack Moment football yobs attack rival fans outside pub after FA Cup clash - as man, 24, is jailed This is the shocking moment football yobs attacked rival fans outside a Wetherspoon during a 50-strong mass brawl. Samuel Grant, 24, cowardly punched an elderly man as he was slowly walking through Newport city centre whilst being aided by a woman. The vicious blow caused him to fall to floor where Newport County fan Grant kicked him in the chest and face. The heartless attack on the vulnerable man was described by a judge as 'shameless'. Grant broke down in tears in the dock at Cardiff Crown Court as he was jailed for two years and four months. He was also given a five year football banning order. The violence erupted following Newport County's 1-1 draw in the FA Cup third round game against Eastleigh in January last year. Prosecutor Anisha Rai said the disorder started when 18-year-old Wayne Thomas goaded Eastleigh fans outside the pub. The court heard Thomas initiated the fight by throwing the first punch before he fled the scene after the initial scuffle. Joseph Friel, 22, could be seen hitting one Eastleigh fan to the face before spitting at a man on the ground when police arrived. Thomas and Friel, both from Pontypool, South Wales, and Grant, from Newport, all admitted violent disorder. The trio were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court last Friday, where the judge said Grant was 'continually in the centre of the fight' and had 'shamefully' punched and kicked an obviously vulnerable elderly man.
