Latest news with #clearancesale
The Sun
2 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Peacocks launches huge clearance sale ahead of closing much-loved shop
PEACOCKS has launched a huge clearance sale ahead of one of its much-loved shops shutting its doors. The branch in Northfield, Birmingham, has items on sale with an extra 30 per cent discount on top, a shopper has claimed. 3 3 3 The shopper took to the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook page to share the unbelievable shop discovery. She said: "Peacocks in Northfield is now a clearance shop, everything is SALE an addition 30% sale prices! "I got tops for £2.10 black ankle boots for £3.50! "Jeans that was £25 for £8.40! And loads more they had loads of stock. "Run don't walk." Facebook users shared their excitement on the sale - but their sadness on the shop closure. One shopper said: "Why are all the shops closing in Northfield?" And tagging a pal, one commenter asked: "Fancy an hour out in Northfield tomorrow?" In July last year Peacocks announced they would be strategically closing stores as they launched a new website. Poundland to be sold for JUST £1 as frontrunner for shock takeover is revealed after wave of store closures The fashion retailer revealed an annual turnover of £238million for the year to February 2023, with £14.65million in profits for the same period. Peacocks was originally bought out of administration in 2021, saving 2,000 jobs. The brand was saved by investors led by Edinburgh Woollen Mill's chief operating officer Steve Simpson. It comes as closures have rocked high streets across the UK in recent years. Devastated shoppers cried "what a tragedy" as a beloved shop of 33 years is set to pull down the shutters for good. Why the high street still rules! Fabulous' Fashion Director, Tracey Lea Sayer shares her thoughts. I WAS 10 when I first discovered the utter joy of high-street shopping for clothes with my mum and nan. Going into town on Saturday became a family tradition – a girls' day out we would look forward to all week. My mum's favourite shop was M&S, where she would gaze at jackets with big shoulder pads and floral sundresses, while my nan would make a beeline for John Lewis and their classic coats and elegant court shoes. I was all over Tammy Girl – Etam's little sister – and Chelsea Girl, which was later rebranded to high-street fave River Island. I would spend hours in the changing rooms, watched keenly by my two cheerleaders, who gave the thumbs up – or thumbs down – on what I was trying on. Frilly ra-ra skirts, duster coats, polka dot leggings, puff balls, boob tubes… I tried them all, often making my nan howl with laughter. Fashion wasn't so fast back in the 1980s and every item was cherished and worn until it fell apart – literally – at the seams. At 18, I went to art college and my tastes became more refined. Extra cash from a part-time job in a bar meant I could move on to slightly more expensive stores, like Warehouse, Miss Selfridge and the mecca that was Topshop. I knew at this point I wanted to work in fashion because the high street had totally seduced me. One day, I wrote an article for a competition in a glossy mag about my love of retail therapy and my favourite LBD – and I won! That led me to where I am today – Fashion Director of Fabulous. It's not just me that loves the high street – big-name designers are fans, too. When Cool Britannia hit in the '90s, they all turned up in one big store. Designers at Debenhams was a stroke of genius by Debenhams CEO Belinda Earl, designer Ben de Lisi and fashion director Spencer Hawken, who introduced diffusion ranges from John Rocha, Matthew Williamson and Betty Jackson, to name a few. This meant we could all afford a bit of luxury and wear a well-known designer's signature style. Years later, I hosted a night with Debenhams and Fabulous for 250 readers, who were in awe meeting all the designers. It was a real career highlight for me. In 2004, H&M started rolling out their international designer collabs. Karl Lagerfeld was first, followed by Roberto Cavalli, Marni, Stella McCartney, Maison Martin Margiela, Sonia Rykiel, Comme des Garçons, Balmain, Versace and many, many more. I could barely contain myself! Then in 2007, Kate Moss launched her first collection with Topshop, with thousands queuing along London's Oxford Street. I remember sitting behind Ms Moss and Topshop boss Philip Green at a London Fashion Week Topshop Unique catwalk show. I had my three-year-old daughter, Frankie, in tow and we both made the news the next day after we were papped behind Kate, my supermodel girl crush. At the time, the high street was on fire. Who needed designer buys when Mango stocked tin foil trousers just like the designer Isabel Marant ones and you could buy a bit of Barbara Hulanicki's legendary brand Biba from Topshop? High street stores even started to storm London Fashion week. Although Topshop Unique had shown collections since 2001, in 2013 River Island showed its first collection in collaboration with global superstar Rihanna, who was flown in by a friend of mine on a private jet. KER-CHING! A whole new generation of high profile high street collabs followed. Beyoncé created Ivy Park with Topshop's Philip Green and I even flew to LA for Fabulous to shoot the Kardashian sisters in their bodycon 'Kollection' for Dorothy Perkins. I am pleased to say they were the absolute dream cover stars. Fast forward to 2024 and while the high street doesn't look exactly like it did pre-Covid, it has made a gallant comeback. Stores like M&S, Reserved and Zara, and designer collabs like Victoria Beckham X Mango and Rochelle Humes for Next are giving me all the feels. The supermarkets have really come into their own, too, smashing it with gorgeous collections that look expensive, but at prices that still allow us to afford the weekly shop. The last 30 years of high street fashion have been one big adventure for me. Bring on the next 30!
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
High street retailer with 263 stores to shut shop in weeks – and it's launched HUGE closing down sale
A MAJOR high street name is pulling the plug on one of its stores in just two weeks. It's already slashing prices by up to 70% to clear the shelves. 1 Outdoor clothing and gear giant Mountain Warehouse has confirmed its Norwich branch on London Street will shut for good, marking the end of over a year of speculation surrounding its future. The store said its last day of trading will be on June 15, meaning shoppers have just under two weeks to visit the shop. The writing has reportedly been on the wall since October last year, when 'Closing Down' signs first appeared in the windows. But months dragged on with no firm date in sight until now. Shoppers can now cash in on huge savings as the store kicks off a massive clearance sale ahead of the final day of trading. Any leftover stock will be sent to other stores, including the nearby Haymarket branch, which is staying open. The closure comes almost two years after Mountain Warehouse opened the much larger Haymarket site, just one street away. At the time, bosses insisted both would continue trading, but locals say they always expected the smaller shop to get the axe. Posting on Facebook, one Norwich shopper said: 'It was only a matter of time – you can't have two stores that close together and expect them both to survive.' Another added: 'Sad to see it go, but I guess Haymarket makes more sense. Still going to miss it.' Popular retailer to RETURN 13 years after collapsing into administration and shutting 236 stores It's not the only Mountain Warehouse site to shut its doors. Previously the retailer closed stores in Isle of Wight, Gainsborough, Basingstoke and Swindon. The news comes as Britain's high streets face another wave of store shutdowns, with several big-name chains reviewing their property portfolios. Retailers have been hammered by rising rent, energy bills, and staffing costs, especially after government Budget changes hiked employer National Insurance contributions. With footfall down in many city centres, brands are being forced to rethink expansion plans, trim their store counts, or shift focus to retail parks and online. Here is a full list of the shops we know are shutting in June 2025. They include, but aren't limited to, The Original Factory Shop, Poundland, and The Works. However, store closures don't always mean doom and gloom. Businesses often shut one branch in favour of another nearby that's pulling in more trade, which is exactly what appears to have happened in Norwich. Mountain Warehouse has been approached for comment. 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."
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
B.C. shoppers feeling nostalgic as Hudson's Bay stores close for good
Shoppers hoping to score last-minute deals on the final day of the Bay clearance sale at the Park Royal location in West Vancouver were disappointed to find almost no merchandise remained. The store was nearly empty except for fixtures and mannequins that were available for purchase. Employees were seen hugging and crying on the final day of operation, as all Hudson's Bay locations prepared to close their doors for good at end of business day Sunday. Longtime Bay shopper Joanna McGuinness didn't come looking for bargains. 'I just want to go in and weep a bit before it's closing. It's really sad,' she said. 'I've been coming to the Bay for so many years, and it's unbelievable that it's no longer.' 'It is sad. But, I mean, the era of the department store is gone. It's now online sales. This is inevitability, right?' said Philip James, who came to the Park Royal store on the final day with his daughter, Sophia. 'I think it's sad that everything's moving online, because human connection is so important and we are moving into this world where everything is going online. And so it starts with something like the Bay closing, which was a huge store, but then it moves into other things and more places where people go start closing, and then what do we have left?' said Sophia James. A Vancouver Island billionaire has signed a deal to acquire the leases on 28 Hudson's Bay store locations in B.C., Alberta and Ontario. But it's unclear if she can use any of the Bay branding, which has been bought by Canadian Tire. Shoppers say either way, it won't be the same. 'It's one of the first department stores I went to apart from Eaton's, who of course also closed down. So now there's nobody left,' said McGuinness. 'It's it really goes back to the beginning of Canada. It's just amazing that that we can't continue it, that nobody can save it.'
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Poundland is selling a ‘trending' cheap £5 garden buy that'll light up your outdoor space – and make it colourful too
BUDGET retailer Poundland is selling a cheap £5 buy that will brighten up your outdoor space. The garden accessories have had their price slashed in a clearance sale. Going from £6 to just £5, the cheap solar powered LED garden lights are the perfect budget buy. Featuring coloured bulbs, the string of lights can be put up in your garden to add a splash of colour to the space. The Pepco solar powered lights come in a pack of 20. They are strung along a 2.85 metre wire to provide excellent coverage for your outdoor space. With warm white LED lights and coloured bulbs the solar powered lights create a lovely ambience. Poundland boasts that the lights are easy to install and have long lasting performance. The lights can be bought in store or online with Poundland offering UK mainland delivery options. They can operate perfectly fine outside, being designed for use in gardens. A clearance sale reduced the light's price from £6 to just £5. Poundland warns that the items are selling quick though, with hundreds of interested customers. Once sold out the garden accessory will be gone so shoppers will need to rush if they want them. The lights are solar powered but come with a battery included. Powered by a 1.2V 300mAh NI-MH the garden accessory will offer excellent illumination. Poundland called the lights the "perfect addition to your garden décor." With a host of different coloured bulbs the lights do a great job of adding a dash of colour to your garden. Pink, green and yellow bulbs are all included with the lights, offering plenty of variety. Poundland said: "These energy-efficient lights are powered by solar energy, making them an eco-friendly and cost-effective option for your outdoor lighting needs. "With easy installation and long-lasting performance, the Pepco Solar-Powered LED Garden Lights Garland is the perfect addition to your garden décor." 8 must-have plants to brighten up your garden Nick Hamilton owner of Barnsdale Gardens has shared his favourite plants and flowers you should consider adding to your garden, borders and pots. Tricyrtis A spectacular plant that gives a real exotic feel to any garden with its orchid-like, spotted flowers giving the impression that this plant should be tender but it is 'as tough as old boots!'. Penstemon I love this plants genus of because most will flower all summer and autumn. They'll grow in sun or semi-shade in a well drained soil and produce a non-stop display of tubular flowers in an array of colours and colour combination to suit all tastes. Luzula sylvatica 'Marginata' With the evergreen leaves edged with yellow it's great asset is that it will grow in sun or shade in any type of soil and is great as groundcover in the hardest spot to fill - dry shade. Eryngium x zabelii 'Big Blue' A stunning, nectar-rich plant that will feed the beneficial insects in your garden. Leave the flowerheads once they have turned brown because they look stunning with winter frost and snow, extending the plant's interest period. Sarcococca hookeriana 'Winter Gem' If you need winter scent then look no further than this compact, evergreen shrub. The scent is stunning and the evergreen leaves create an excellent backdrop for the summer flowers. Cornus sanguinea 'Anny's Winter Orange' A dwarf version of 'Midwinter Fire' the very colourful stems create a stunning winter display, particularly on sunny days. Rosa 'Noisette Carnee' A very well-behaved climbing rose that is perfect for training over an arch, pergola or gazebo. The small, 'noisette' flowers are blush-pink and produce the most amazing clove scent constantly from June to November. Sanguisorba hakusanensis 'Lilac Squirrel' I've never seen a squirrel with a drooping, shaggy lilac tail, but this variety will give your garden an unusual and different look throughout summer. It does need a moisture retentive soil but will grow in sun or semi-shade.
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
High street chain with 178 shops to close EIGHT stores as massive 50% closing down sale launched
A BARGAIN high street chain is closing eight shops starting in days and huge closing down sales have been launched. The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) is closing a raft of its stores on June 28, weeks after saying it would have to shut some "loss-making" locations. 1 The discount chain has struggled in recent years and has had to look at restructuring. The Sun reported yesterday that five stores were closing in the coming weeks - but a further three have now announced they're shutting for good too. TOFS's stores in Arbroath, Kidwelly and Shaftesbury are the latest to say they are shutting up shop. The Arbroath store will be closing on June 28 and the building has been put up for sale or rent. A post on the store's Facebook page reads: "We would like to take this time to thank all of our customers at the Arbroath store. "We have loved serving you and being part of the community over the last 2 years. We hope you will pop in to see us before we close." The store asked shoppers to be "respectful to staff" as the team are "devastated" by the closure. Before it disappears from the high street, the store is holding a huge 30% off clearance sale. A huge yellow sign has been posted on the window encouraging shoppers to check out the discounts. Customers were devastated by the news of the store's closure, with one writing on Facebook: "That's a shame it's such a good shop." Beloved department store chain shutting more locations with clearance sales on now until final May 25 deadline Another said: "Arbroath's literally a ghost town, Arbroath was a thriving town years ago now there's going to be nothing left. "Great place to shop & good customer service it's really sad." The Kidwelly store is also closing on June 28 after 15 years on the high street. It announced the closure "with a heavy heart" on its Facebook page. "We have loved being a part of this community, in fact, no we are proud!" it said. "Why not pop in and grab a bargain or to even say hello and goodbye. "At this time we ask that you are considerate and respectful to our team as we are truly devastated." Disappointed customers said the closure was "sad news". One person responded to the post: "Sorry to read this, we were there last week. Hope you and the staff find other jobs." Another said: "Oh no ! Why or why. love that place and staff sad news this." The Shaftesbury store also announced its closure on Facebook, although it didn't give an exact date for when it would shut for good. It posted on May 21 that it would be shutting in six weeks' time. "We are in a closing down sale. Lizzy Lee now 50% off. Just another great deal at The Original Factory Shop Shaftesbury," it said. The shop also said it had 20% off storage boxes and "loads more markdowns in store". The Sun has reached out to TOFS for comment on the latest closure announcements. The other TOFS locations confirmed for closure in the coming weeks are Pershore, Normanton, Peterhead, Staveley and Milford Haven. Meanwhile the Nairn store is listed as up for sale, but TOFS has told The Sun that negotiations are ongoing with the landlord. Therefore it is unclear whether the shop will remain open. You can see the full list of closures and dates below... Full list of locations closing Arbroath, Angus - June 28 Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire - June 28 Pershore, Worcestershire - June 28 Normanton, West Yorkshire - June 28 Peterhead, Aberdeenshire - June Staveley, Cumbria - July 12 Shaftesbury, Dorset - no date given Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire - no date given What's been happening with The Original Factory Shop? The Original Factory Shop was bought by Modella Capital in February, and since then it has launched a restructuring effort to renegotiate rents at 88 TOFS stores. Private equity firm Modella is known for picking up struggling retailers, and has also 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. At the end of April, Modella drew up plans to initiate a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) for TOFS. Companies often use CVAs to prevent insolvency, which could otherwise result in store closures or the collapse of the entire business. They allow firms to explore different strategies such as negotiating reduced rent rates with landlords. A TOFS spokesperson previously told The Press and Journal that a "number of loss-making stores will have to close" as part of the restructuring. 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.
