Latest news with #Poole
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Flip Out Poole to close after Raac found in Dolphin centre roof
An indoor adventure park is set to close for essential works after the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).Flip Out Poole will close on Tuesday after the material was found in one area of the roof of The Dolphin Shopping Centre and is expected to remain shut for about six manager John Grinnell said there was "no imminent danger to visitors or staff" but the work was a "proactive measure" to avoid safety issues in Out Poole said guests with upcoming bookings would be automatically refunded. The rest of the shopping centre will remain open."Whilst RAAC has been found in one area of the roof, this is isolated to Flip Out and doesn't affect the rest of the centre," said Mr Grinnell."We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by the closure."Our team aims to complete these works as soon as possible, which will provide a permanent solution and ensure Flip Out Poole can reopen for many years to come." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Department store chain shutting last shop TODAY after 140 years as it's wiped off high street due to Budget tax hikes
AN ICONIC department store has been forced to shut its last branch after 140 years of trading due to Rachel Reeves' Budget hikes. Beales has confirmed its last ever shop, located in the Dolphin Centre shopping mall in Poole, Dorset, will be closing for good today. 2 It marks the end of an era for the one of the oldest faces of the British high street, which first opened in Bournemouth in 1881. Struggles began for the retailer when it entered administration in January 2020, forcing the closure of 22 of its 23 shops. The shop in Poole reopened the same year after relocating to the shopping centre and remained the only Beales store standing. Despite weathering the financial storm for the past five years, Reeves' economic policies proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the iconic departmental store. Beales hit back at the Chancellor's economic policies by announcing a " Rachel Reeves ' Closing Down Sale". On social media, the popular chain joked that it had fallen victim to the Budget "black hole". The closure will also affect an NHS clinic, which is located on the top floor of the Poole store. It was set up in 2021 to reduce waiting times, but will now move to St Mary's hospital on June 5. The death of the high street is the death of communities Beales chief executive Tony Brown explained that business had become "unviable" following the Chancellor's Budget last October. He said: "This, coupled with the risks and uncertainty of further tax increases in the coming years, have left us no other option. "We have been working with the Dolphin Centre, who have been supportive, along with our investors to ensure an orderly exit. "Our team has been informed, as have our suppliers. We will ensure the exit is managed and no one will be left with a financial loss." Below the advert for the " Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale", which included discounts of up to 80%, the high street favourite launched a scathing attack on the Chancellor. A caption on the store's Facebook page read: "Our closing sale is almost over (cheers for the help, Chancellor) - and we've just dropped hundreds of lines to 80% OFF or more! "Grab a bargain before we vanish into the budget black hole. #FinalSale #80Off #LastChance #WhenItsGoneItsGone." UK Retail Shake-Up: Superdry and More It has struggled to cope with rises in national insurance contributions and higher minimum wage which came into effect last month. Like many other businesses, Beales faced higher employer NI contributions, which have risen from 13.8% to 15%. Additionally, the threshold at which these contributions must be paid has been lowered from £9,100 to £5,000. It came as the national minimum wage was notably increased, rising to £12.21 per hour. For workers aged 18-20, the minimum wage increased to £10 per hour from £8.60. These changes to the tax system were confirmed by the Chancellor in the Autumn Budget last October and came into effect on 1 April. The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) warned this closure could be the first of many as retailers continue to struggle with mounting costs. Commercial director Jeff Moody said he was "deeply saddened" to hear about Beales shutting up shop. Why are retailers closing stores? RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis. High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going. However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April 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. 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." It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024. End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker. It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date. This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023. It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns. The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker. Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations. Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes. Professor Bamfield has 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." He added: 'This is not just the loss of another shop. "It represents the end of a retail institution that has served communities for nearly one-and-a-half centuries. 'This closure starkly illustrates the devastating impact that recent tax increases are having on our retail sector.' At its peak, Beales operated 41 stores across the country, selling a range of furniture, cosmetics, fashion products and toys. The high street chain shut its store in Southport last September just three years after the site reopened. FAMOUS NAMES GONE FROM THE HIGH STREET Beales is not the only brand that's been wiped from the high street in recent years. Ted Baker, fell into administration last March after years of turmoil. At the time it had 46 shops in the UK employing around 975 people. The last stores shut in August after failing to secure a full rescue. It was relaunched as an online brand in the UK and Europe after a partnership with United Legwear & Apparel Co. Flooring retailer Carpetright filed for administration in July after efforts to turnaround the struggling firm were derailed by a cyber attack. The business had 1,800 staff and 273 shops across the country before going bust. Around 54 stores were snapped up by its arch rival Tapi Carpets & Floors, which also bought its brand name and continues to run the brand online. LloydsPharmacy, once the UK's second biggest community pharmacy chain, went into liquidation in late January 2024 with debts of £293million. The previous year it had closed all of its pharmacies inside Sainsbury's and divided its 1,000 pharmacy estate into packages of hundreds of stores that it then sold to rivals in smaller deals. There are no more LloydsPharmacy-branded sites on the high street, but it continues to operate online.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Huge £3m adventure park in popular UK seaside town suddenly SHUTS after ‘crumbling concrete' found in roof
POPULAR seaside town's adventure park has been forced to shut after "crumbling concrete" was found on its roof. Building repairs are set to occur on the site after the Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) was discovered and raised safety concerns. 2 2 Flip Out Poole, which is located in Dorset's The Dolphin Centre, will close from Tuesday June 3 as building repairs are underway. A guest notice from The Flip Out Team has been shared on their website: "We know this isn't the news our amazing Poole community wanted to hear - and we want to say a huge thank you for all the energy, joy and epic memories you've brought through our doors up to now. "All guests with upcoming bookings will be automatically refunded in full, so there's nothing you need to do. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause." The Raac concrete which was found on the roof of The Hub is considered to be an unstable material. It is weaker than conventional concrete and susceptible to collapsing, particularly when wet or does not have adequate support from steel beams. The Hub also housed offices for BCP Council workers. It is understood affected areas are only isolated to the Flip Out section of the shopping centre. There is subsequently no imminent danger posed to visitors or staff, according to an investigation by building and structural engineers for The Dolphin centre. Centre manager for The Dolphin, John Grinnell, said: 'Legal & General are committed to a proactive approach to building maintenance. "These works are a proactive measure to avoid any potential unsafe conditions in the future. What is RAAC concrete? 'We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by the closure. Our team aims to complete these works as soon as possible, which will provide a permanent solution and ensure Flip Out Poole can reopen for many years to come." With the Raac concrete found only in one area of the centre, the rest of The Dolphin will remain open as usual whilst the repair works are happening. A post by the general manager of Flip Out was shared on social media, but has since been removed. He wrote: "To be clear this is due to the roof of the facility having been made with Raac concrete. 'The landlord must complete refurbishment works to ensure the building is safe to occupy.' The essential maintenance is being carried out by the landlord of The Dolphin. Raac concrete schools, hospitals and court house buildings. Adventure parks have also been facing challenges this year in terms of closures, which has been send as a blow to children's entertainment sites.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Iconic high street chain to shut its last ever store in just HOURS after more than 140 years trading
ONE of Britain's oldest department stores will shut its last remaining branch after more than 140 years of trading. Beales, which first opened in Bournemouth in 1881, has launched a closing down sale before they shut the doors for the last time in hours. Beales at the Dolphin Centre shopping mall in Poole will close for good on May 31. Retail industry bosses said the closure of the historic store 'illustrates the devastating impact' of the rise in national insurance contributions and the higher minimum wage. Beales chief executive, Tony Brown told BBC: "We've looked at everything - these are not decisions you take likely. "We looked at a whole raft of redundancies but to get to where we needed to be the shop itself wouldn't be able to open most of the time because we wouldn't have enough people. "Obviously, it's devastating especially for the staff who have tried so hard over the last five years." The retailer has also come under pressure from shifting shopping habits in recent years, with younger shoppers turning away from large high street stores towards online rivals. In January 2020, Beales tumbled into administration, leading to the closure of 22 of its 23 shops. The shop in Poole reopened the same year after relocating to the shopping centre and remained the only Beales store standing. The NHS clinic was set up on the top floor of the department store in 2021 to reduce waiting times but will now move to St Mary's hospital on June 5. Beales operated 41 department stores in market towns across the UK at its peak, selling a range of furniture, fashion, toys and cosmetics. Popular retailer to RETURN 13 years after collapsing into administration and shutting 236 stores The high street chain shut its store in Southport last September just three years after the site reopened. It comes after a series of store closures by The Original Factory Shop with another 10 shops closing in the coming weeks. Other businesses have warned of price rises and closures as a result of the Budget tax hikes. New Look began ramping up its store closure programme prior top April's National Insurance increase. Approximately a quarter of the retailer's 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire. FAMOUS NAMES GONE FROM THE HIGH STREET Beales is not the only brand that's been wiped from the high street in recent years. Ted Baker, fell into administration last March after years of turmoil. At the time it had 46 shops in the UK employing around 975 people. The last stores shut in August after failing to secure a full rescue. It was relaunched as an online brand in the UK and Europe after a partnership with United Legwear & Apparel Co. Flooring retailer Carpetright filed for administration in July after efforts to turnaround the struggling firm were derailed by a cyber attack. The business had 1,800 staff and 273 shops across the country before going bust. Around 54 stores were snapped up by its arch rival Tapi Carpets & Floors, which also bought its brand name and continues to run the brand online. LloydsPharmacy, once the UK's second biggest community pharmacy chain, went into liquidation in late January 2024 with debts of £293million. The previous year it had closed all of its pharmacies inside Sainsbury's and divided its 1,000 pharmacy estate into packages of hundreds of stores that it then sold to rivals in smaller deals. There are no more LloydsPharmacy-branded sites on the high street, but it continues to operate online. Fans of Paperchase were devastated when the retailer disappeared from the high street in April 2023. Its 134 shops all closed after it fell into administration, including its concession stands in Next and Selfridges. However, supermarket giant Tesco bought the rights to the brand and the brand is now stocked at 250 Tesco supermarkets. M&Co, previously called Mackay's, fell into administration for the second time in two years in December 2022. M&Co's brand and intellectual property were sold to Yours Clothing. The chain's 170 shops were not part of the deal though and all sites closed their doors at the start of 2024. Popular chain Cath Kidston, which once boasted hundreds of shops around the world, closed the last of its stores for good in June 2023. The brand was bought by Next after falling into administration in the March - but the sale didn't include the physical shops and remaining sotres closed that summer. Topshop disappeared after falling into administration during the pandemic. The brand was bought by Asos and is now sold online. The ecommerce giant has teased a return to bricks and mortar though.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The Salt Path: Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs are weighed down by their script
For most travellers, walking the 630-mile coastal path from Minehead to Poole – tracing the whole finger of the Southwest Peninsula – might be cause for a two-month hiking sabbatical. For the married couple in The Salt Path, based on a 2018 memoir by one of them, Raynor Winn, it became the solution instead to a more immediate problem: they'd lost their home. After an unwise investment in a friend's failing company, they forfeited a court case and found their farm repossessed. The health of Moth (Jason Isaacs) also declined alarmingly, and he was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration (CBD). When he and Raynor (Gillian Anderson) decide to heave on their backpacks and set off regardless, they have hardly any cash to hand, subsisting on instant noodles, charity, and whatever else they can scrape together. This modestly scaled drama is the feature debut of the fêted West End theatre director Marianne Elliott (War Horse, Company). It makes genuinely important points about homelessness, and the middle-class horror of ever crossing that line. But the script, by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Ida, She Said) is a surprising letdown. It strikes the ear as a Cliffs Notes version (pun intended) of Raynor and Moth's coastal trek, with too many exchanges milked for nudging significance: an argument when the couple's tent is almost washed out to sea, about whether it constitutes their new home or not, is par for the course. Humour – even of the gallows kind – is not a huge strong point, either. That said, in one genuinely funny interlude, Moth is mistaken for the well-travelled poet Simon Armitage at an ice-cream van, and the couple get invited for an excruciating moment to a spontaneous soiree at someone's home. The pin-drop silence that descends when Raynor disabuses their hosts is hilariously bleak. Isaacs, on a roll with this and The White Lotus, is never not grittily believable. Perhaps the female perspectives framing this story, from page to screen, made it inevitable that he would cede the more lingering close-ups to a luminous Anderson, who digs as deep here as she might in a Beckett play – Happy Days, perhaps, with a smattering of Godot. Raynor seems to be gazing out at her own ruin, pre-grieving her husband, and mourning past contentments, all at once. The cinematography, by French legend Hélène Louvart, straightforwardly roams these craggy headlands right alongside the Wynns. But, for all the most fascinating glints of quartz, and scars of attrition, we need only look in our leading lady's face. It turns to the sun for nourishment and balm whenever the sun is there: sunlight is free, after all.
