Latest news with #storeclosure
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Huge outdoor chain with over 300 locations to shut shopping centre branch in DAYS
A major outdoor retailer with over 300 branches is set to close one of its stores. The Trespass branch in Watford will shut its doors on October 31 - with an 'everything must go' sale now underway. 2 The outdoor clothing and equipment shop is located on the upper mall level of Harlequin Watford shopping centre. According to the Watford Observer, Trespass may relocate elsewhere in town, though this has not been confirmed. For now, the store remains open during its usual hours - Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm and Sundays from 11am to 6pm. Nearby branches can be found in Harrow, Hemel Hempstead and Hatfield. Another business is expected to take over the unit once the Trespass store shuts. The chain sells sportswear and outdoor gear, including skiwear, waterproof jackets, fleeces, festival accessories, walking boots and camping equipment. This closure comes as part of a broader trend for the retailer. In July 2023, Trespass announced it would shut six outlets. The stores were located in Derby, Harrogate, Canterbury, Solihul, Workington and Chesterfield. In 2024, it announced plans to shut 12 more Trespass stores, including sites in Coventry, Norwich, and Middlesbrough. The Middlesbrough store - which had opened only two years earlier - closed in early 2025. However, the Norwich branch later reopened at a new location in Castle Quarter. In May, Trespass pulled down the shutters on its Aylesbury store in Buckinghamshire. Meanwhile, popular homeware chain Lakeland is also preparing to shut one of its high street stores. The Lakeland store on Broad Street in Reading will shut on August 8, the store confirmed to The Sun. Signs in the window announce the closure and an 'everything must go' sale. Based in Windermere in the Lake District, Lakeland operates 58 stores across the UK and employs around 1,000 staff. The retailer is known for selling a range of homeware and kitchen products, including spatulas, food containers and baking suppliers. 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. 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. 2
The Sun
22-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Apple confirms it's shutting big city centre store for good in DAYS in blow to high street shoppers
APPLE has confirmed it will close one of its city centre stores in just days. In a massive blow to the high street, the shop will serve its last customers on August 9. 1 Apple announced the two-floor Bristol store will shut after 15 years because of redevelopment plans at the Cabot Circus Shopping Centre. A store spokesperson said they have "loved" serving the local community and reassured employees that they will be offered roles elsewhere. They told Macrumours: "At Apple, we're always focused on providing an exceptional experience for all of our customers. "Due to the redevelopment plans at Cabot Circus Shopping Centre, which include the closure of the section where our store is located, Apple Bristol will close on August 9, 2025. "We've loved serving the Bristol community for over 15 years, and our valued team members will continue their roles at Apple." Residents will need to head to Apple Cribbs Causeway on the outskirts of Bristol, and Apple SouthGate in Bath in future. AMBITIOUS PLANS Cabot Circus is set to transform with new shops lining Philadelphia Street. Bristol Alliance Partnership proposed to replace the shops' first floor areas with a space that will suit new, flexible workspaces and healthcare. The plans also emphasised preserving the architectural heritage of the site, while supporting "sustainable urban development". Apple's current location will be transformed into a "vibrant" public space for locals to relax in. Despite the ambitious plans, many shoppers have expressed doubt over the long term management of the area. Major card chain with 163 shops launches closing down sales ahead of shutting its doors for good One unhappy local said: "No more reason ever to go there after that. How they have mismanaged that place." Another added: "The site is so badly managed long term. Bristol is really bad at good long term planning, sadly." Meanwhile a third said: "I don't understand what they are trying to achieve. It will never be a going out area will it." 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." Then a fourth said: "Looks like chatgpt had a good work out there…" Followed by a fifth: "Who's getting a back hander on this work that doesn't need to happen?"
CBS News
21-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Cub Foods' St. Paul Midway store to close in August
The Cub Foods in St. Paul's Midway neighborhood is closing in less than two weeks, according to a notice sent to the State Rapid Response Team on Monday. The store and pharmacy located at 1440 University Ave. West will close to the public on Aug. 2, the notice says. As a result of the closure, approximately 96 employees will be separated or laid off beginning Sept. 22. In the WARN Act notice, Cub Foods wrote it is "impossible" to know with certainty which employees will be separated due to transfer and bumping rights under collective bargaining agreements for unionized employees. A majority of the employees are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1189, with a handful represented by Bakery Confectionery Tobacco Workers & Grain Millers Union Local 22. Only five employees do not have representation. People in the area won't be completely without alternatives, with an Aldi and Target located within a mile of the soon-to-be shuttered store. Residents say the Hamline-Midway neighborhood has been plagued by crime, homelessness and drug use in recent years. Community members even held a town hall last October, looking for ways to clean up the area. One way the city hopes to do that is through its United Village project in the area surrounding Allianz Field, which is located across the street from Cub Foods. The development includes an office complex, restaurant pavilions and a hotel.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Major retailer announces shock closure of Glasgow city centre store
A major retailer has revealed the shock closure of its Glasgow city centre store. Monki will be pulling down the shutters on its shop in the city's Buchanan Galleries shopping centre. Signage, which has been installed on the venue's windows, said the location will be closing in August 2025. READ MORE: Popular retailer announced closure of Glasgow Fort store READ MORE: Major retailer suddenly closed down Glasgow Silverburn store The signs read: "Closing sale. This store is closing in August. "Thanks for all the love and support. You can still shop Monki online - explore more at (Image: Newsquest) The brand is known for its blend of 'Scandi-cool and Asian street' style clothing for women. In December 2024, we revealed how Monki shops across the UK would either be shut down or turned into Weekday stores.
The Sun
20-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Bargain UK retail chain with 700 stores is shutting doors to ‘super' branch for good in just HOURS
ONE OF Britain's favourite budget chains is shuttering a popular branch for good in just a few hours. The bargain retailer has more than 700 stores across the country, and shoppers are gutted to see more branches close. 2 2 Poundland is closing even more stores across the UK, with some closing in a matter of hours. One of these is the Stratford store on Bridge Street, which is set to shut tomorrow. Shoppers in Stratford were devastated to see the shop close, and some even took to social media to express their dismay. One gutted shopper said: " another one! "Won't be much left on Bridge Street at this rate." Another customer raised concerns about the 'super' shopping assistants: "The staff are super in that store, I hope they find jobs quickly." A third responded: "Another empty unit! Sad!" One angry resident slammed the area as a "ghost town" following the closure: "Stratford for shopping went down the pan years ago, this just adds to the ghost town it's becoming." Other shoppers simply put 'shocked' emojis. The store was taken on by the Gordon Brothers in 2025 and announced that a few sites would be closed during a major reshuffle. Poundland to be sold for JUST £1 as frontrunner for shock takeover is revealed after wave of store closures However, the Bridge Street branch closure was not initially part of the wave of closures. The store is being forced to close after the company failed to reach a deal to stay at the location. A spokesperson for Poundland said: 'Poundland expects to have a store network of around 650-700 stores in the UK & Ireland compared to around 800 today which includes combining two locations into one, where we're able. 'While that remains a very sizable number of stores, we know how disappointing it is for customers when a location like Stratford stops trading, and we look forward to welcoming customers to our close-by Retail Park store. They explained that the Stratford store was not one of those and neither was the shop at the Maybird Shopping Centre, but its closure was related to not being able to agree terms that would allow them to keep trading there. The spokesperson added: 'We're obviously disappointed we haven't been able to agree terms that would allow us to keep the store open. "It goes without saying that we are formally consulting with colleagues at the store and that work is underway.' Unfortunately for Poundland fans, the Stratford branch isn't the only store in the firing line. Port Glasgow follows suit on August 10, and Whitby will shut for good on September 3. A closing-down sale is now underway at the Newark store, while signs announcing the closure have appeared at the Pontypool branch, which will shut on September 7. The Merry Hill store in Dudley already shut its doors on July 18, followed by the Telford branch yesterday. Poundland is set to close its Cowes branch on the Isle of Wight on July 30, with its Newquay shop set to close on August 1. The closures are part of a major overhaul after the retailer was bought by Gordon Brothers for just £1 earlier this year. The bargain chain has said up to 68 stores will close, with another 150 at risk as it cuts down from nearly 800 sites. Plans include scrapping frozen food sections, removing online shopping, and increasing womenswear and seasonal ranges. Seventeen shops have already shut since March 2024, including locations in Maidenhead, Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction. Once the closures are complete, the company expects to operate between 650 and 700 stores. The Polish-owned Pepco Group had previously run Poundland since 2016, but auctioned it off in March. Shoppers have flocked to stores offering big closing-down discounts, picking up bargains before the shutters come down. Customers are being urged to check whether their local branch is affected as closures continue into September. A total of 24 stores will shut once the remaining closures have taken place: 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 Newport, Wales – closed May 24 Chiswick High Road – closed May 28 Filton Abbeywood – closed May 31 Surrey Quays – closed June 11 Barrow Dalton Road - closed June 12 Union Gate, Bristol - closed June 20 Flint - closed June 21 Colchester - closed St Marks Place Newark - unknown Telford - closed July 1 Stratford-upon-Avon - July 21 Newquay - closing July 30 Cowes, Isle of Wight – closing July 30 Newquay - August 1 Whitby - September 3 Pontypool - September 7 Inverclyde - unknown Barry Williams, managing director of Poundland said: 'It's no secret that we have much work to do to get Poundland back on track. "While Poundland remains a strong brand, serving 20m-plus shoppers each year, our performance for a significant period has fallen short of our high standards and action is needed to enable the business to return to growth. 'It's sincerely regrettable that this plan includes the closure of stores and distribution centres, but it's necessary if we're to achieve our goal of securing the future of thousands of jobs and hundreds of stores. "It goes without saying that if our plans are approved, we will do all we can to support colleagues who will be directly affected by the changes.' 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."
