Latest news with #OctagonParade
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
High street chain is closing another store - but shoppers are trying to save it
One shopper, Amy Jones, has set up an online petition on to try and keep the store open and she wrote: 'It's a vital part of our community.' Sports Direct is closing one of its stores this winter - and one devastated shopper has set up an online petition to try and keep it open. The sports chain is shutting its branch in the White Rose Shopping Centre in Rhyl. Shoppers have been told the store is closing in October, according to NorthWalesLive. Sports Direct has around 500 stores in the UK and is owned by Frasers Group, which was founded by retailer billionaire Mike Ashley. One shopper, Amy Jones, has set up an online petition on to try and keep the Sports Direct store open. She wrote: "Sports Direct in Rhyl is more than just a retail store; it's a vital part of our community. 'Over the years, it has provided not just a shopping venue but also employment opportunities and support for local sports enthusiasts. The closure of Sports Direct in Rhyl would have detrimental effects on our local economy and community well-being." In a separate Facebook post, another shopper commented: "Another shop closing... Rhyl will be a ghost town soon." Another said: "Will be plenty more closing as well in Rhyl the way things are going." It comes after Sports Direct closed its store in Cambridge shut down in April 2025, while its branch in Central Six Retail Park store in Coventry pulled down the shutters at the end of January. Its branches in Stroud, Gloucestershire, and on Octagon Parade in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, also shut permanently last year. In more retail news, Poundland yesterday revealed a list of 25 stores that will close for good in August. The discount chain has been sold for £1 to investment firm Gordon Brothers, the former owner of Laura Ashley, and had already confirmed that it will close 68 branches as part of its major restructure. Poundland will shut ten stores on August 10 and a further 15 branches will close their doors for good on August 17. Of the remaining 43 stores identified for closure as part the restructuring plan, three have already closed. This includes the Poundland in Swiss Cottage which shut on April 20, 2024, while its branch in Chiswick closed on May 28 and its Southampton West Quay store shut on June 9. It has been reported that the remaining 40 stores will close by mid-October. Poundland said the closures, alongside leases expiring, will see its store estate reduced to between 650 and 700. Poundland has around 800 stores currently. Poundland also revealed it will close its distribution centre at Darton, South Yorkshire and its national distribution centre at Bilston in the West Midlands in early 2026.
Scottish Sun
21-07-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
British high street giant with 500 shops launches closing down sale at ‘vital' store in another blow to seaside resort
One devastated resident set up a petition in a desperate bid to keep the site going SHOP DROPPED British high street giant with 500 shops launches closing down sale at 'vital' store in another blow to seaside resort Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HIGH street giant with 500 stores nationwide has launched a closing down sale at a "vital" branch. Locals in a North Wales seaside resort were shocked to hear the popular sports brand will be shuttering soon. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The Sports Direct in Rhyl's White Rose Shopping Centre will close in October (not pictured) Credit: Getty The Sports Direct, in Rhyl's White Rose Shopping Centre, will be yet another high street site to bite the dust. The new store, owned by Frasers retail group, was said to be part of an initiative to regenerate the company in 2020. But shoppers have been told the shop is pulling the shutters down permanently in October, as reported by NorthWalesLive. One devastated resident, Amy Jones, has set up a petition in a desperate bid to keep the site going. Read More SHUTTERS DOWN Much-loved pet shop forced to close after more than 60 years On her she penned: "Sports Direct in Rhyl is more than just a retail store; it's a vital part of our community. "Over the years, it has provided not just a shopping venue but also employment opportunities and support for local sports enthusiasts. "The closure of Sports Direct in Rhyl would have detrimental effects on our local economy and community well-being." The closure is the latest blow to Rhyl's high street, with a handful of stores and attractions shutting down in the past four years. However, a cash influx of £20million is set to be pumped into the town from the Government. Major card chain with 163 shops launches closing down sales ahead of shutting its doors for good This comes after a Sports Direct branch in Cambridge shut down recently, after launching a huge closing down sale. A frustrated local said: "Another nail in the coffin for concrete Cambridge." Meanwhile, another added: "Losing all our stores! Earlier this year, Sports Direct pulled the plug on its Central Six Retail Park store in Coventry at the end of January. Last year, its branches in Stroud, Gloucestershire, and on Octagon Parade in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, also shut permanently. And, just this week a retail chain owned by Sports Direct billionaire Mike Ashley "vanished". The business tycoon has stakes in several household name brands, including Boohoo, Hugo Boss and House of Fraser. And nestled in the Fountainbridge area of Edinburgh is Evans Cycles. The specialist bike store reportedly stocked "over 40,000 specialist products, from some of the world's most renowned cycling brands". Evans Cycles was acquired by the Frasers Group - which is helmed by Mr Ashley - as part of a rescue deal in 2018. However the shutters have been pulled down for a final time, after the retailer was "served notice by the landlord". The recent closure leaves five remaining Evans Cycles in Scotland - two in Glasgow, two in Aberdeen and one in Dundee. A Frasers Group spokesperson told Edinburgh Evening News: 'It is with regret that we have been served notice by the landlord to close Evans Cycles Edinburgh. "We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their hard work and dedication. "Where possible, we are committed to finding new roles within the Group for staff.' Loyal customers rushed online to express their disappointment. One said: "Shocked to see Evan's go." Another added: "Cycling has increased dramatically in Edinburgh over the years, so I'm at a loss as to why it has closed." A third wrote: "Such a shame, this was a one stop shop for all your cycling needs." 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."
