A new wave of uncertainty has emerged for the Britishhigh street as a series of store closuresare yet to arrive this month. The decline of...
A new wave of uncertainty has emerged for the Britishhigh street as a series of store closuresare yet to arrive this month.
The decline of physical retail has been happening for some time, as e-commerce keeps growing in appeal, particularly following the worldwide coronavirus outbreak.
The UK's high streets are currently experiencing a wave of shop closures.. Long lines are now uncommon, whereas "for rent" signs and empty storefronts are increasingly visible as shoppers move away from the downtown area.
The latest wave of shutdowns includesWHSmith high street stores, Wilko and River Island. Banks such as NatWest, Santander, Halifax, and Lloyds have alsoclosed hundreds of branches this year.
Some studies have suggested that the UK lost as many as 37 stores each day during the previous year.
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And additional stores are expected to close shortly asMorrisons, Poundland, Paddy Power, Scope, Claire’s, and Ann’s Cottage surf shops have all announced new shutdowns.
Morrisons
Morrisons is now scheduled toclose145 locations at different sites, including cafes and shops, as part of their 'renewal initiative' this year.
Having been a part of British life for over 125 years, the closure of the supermarket's locations will be a significant setback for shoppers.
The recent store closures involve 52 cafes and 17 everyday convenience stores, as well as florists, pharmacies, market kitchens, meat counters, and fish counters. This is part of the company's strategy to 'optimize operations' and drive growth, according to Morrisons.
The chief executive of Morrisons, Rami Baitiéh, stated that the closures were "a necessary part of our plans to revitalize and reenergize Morrisons, allowing us to concentrate our investments on the areas that customers truly appreciate and that can fully contribute to our growth."
Poundland
Poundland was sold earlier this year due to a company-wide restructuring that will lead to the closure of numerous locations by the end of 2025.
End-of-season sales have started, as shoppers hurry to find final deals.
A representative from Poundland stated: “Shoppers will have the opportunity to benefit from substantial discounts as these locations get ready to close in the coming days.”
Darren MacDonald, Poundland's UK country manager, stated: 'The exclusive discounts, along with the worth we offer in each store, will enable us to depart the locations we are closing with confidence.'
A total of 30 locations will be shutting down in the UK this year, with multiple closures occurring in November and December.
Here is an complete list of the stores that will soon be closing:
- Dalston (November 24)
- Beeston (November 27)
- Launceston (November 29)
- Melton Mowbray (December 4)
- Droitwich (December 9)
- Hempstead Valley (December 31)
- Bexhill (January 5, 2026)
- Cameron Toll (20th January, 2026)
Those who were previously scheduled to close are listed below:
- Twickenham (October 5)
- Westhoughton (October 5)
- Market Harborough (October 9)
- Lowestoft (October 10)
- Colne (October 11)
- Rochdale (October 13)
- Leicester (October 17)
- Tenby (October 18)
- Blackpool – Cherry Tree Retail Park (October 25th)
- Deal (October 27)
- Thurrock (October 27
- Walsall (October 29)
- Hailsham (November 2)
- Perry Barr (November 2)
- Matlock (November 2)
- Carlisle (November 9)
- Burnley (November 9)
- Witham (November 12)
- Sidcup (November 14)
- Loughborough (November 14)
- New Malden (November 16)
- Peckham (November 20)
Paddy Power
Paddy Power plans to shut down 57 of its physical stores in the UK and Ireland following an assessment of its street-level locations.
The location in High Wycombe, situated at 12 White Hart Street, is said to have been sealed off and shut down since Paddy Power made their declaration.
The shutdown of these gambling stores has raised worries about the future of other high street betting outlets.
The Chancellor’s budgetwill be revealed on November 26, but has already been speculated to increase tax rates for UK businesses.
Paddy Power stated that 247 employees could face job cuts, including 128 in the UK and 119 in the Republic of Ireland.
Flutter UKI stated that affected employees would be "provided with redeployment options where feasible."
Scope
This charitable retail chain has closed over 50 outlets this year as part of a plan to eliminate 77 sites.
Scope once operated 138 stores in England and Wales, with its retail outlets supporting the disability charity.
Two outlets will be closing this week, with the Stourbridge location shutting down on Thursday, November 20, and the Folkestone store ceasing operations permanently on Saturday, November 22.
Debbie Boylen, the Retail Director at Scope, expressed that it was heartbreaking to verify the choice to close the stores. She mentioned, 'Our retail outlets have been crucial in generating essential funds to aid our initiatives for individuals with disabilities and their families.'
Claire’s
The accessories and jewelry retail chain had earlier entered into a rescue agreement following the submission of a notice ofintention to appoint administrators in August this year.
However, this has not stopped all losses, as Claire's revealed last month that administrators have agreed to sell 156 out of its 306 stores.
Some 145 of these stores are scheduled toclosed down permanentlythroughout the UK and Ireland.
Locations including London Oxford Street West, Macclesfield, and Limerick, Ireland have already been shut down, with further closures expected.
Complete list of 145 Claire's Accessories locations that are shutting down
UK
- The Arndale Center, Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 2LJ
- Grand Arcade, Shopping Mall, Cambridge CB2 3BJ
- SU33B, The Sovereign Shopping Centre, Weston Super Mare, Somerset BS23 1HL
- Cascades Centre, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 4RJ
- 83 Strand Street, Douglas, Isle of Man IM1 2EN, United Kingdom
- Baxtergate, Freshney Place, Grimsby, North Lincolnshire DN31 1QQ
- Green Lanes Shopping Centre, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 1UH
- Eastgate Center, Basildon, Essex SS14 1AF
- Howgate Center, Falkirk, Falkirk FK1 1HG
- Victoria Shopping Centre, Victoria Station, London, Greater London SW1W 9SJ
- Thistle Marches 2, Stirling, Stirling FK8 2EA
- 101 Sylvania Way, Clydebank, Dunbartonshire G81 2TL
- 324 Oxford Street, London, W1C 1JA
- Union Arcade, Millgate Shopping Centre, Greater Manchester, Bury, Greater Manchester BL9 0QF
- The Howard Centre, Howards Gate, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire AL8 6HA
- Ankerside Shopping Centre, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 7LG
- The Shopping Centre, Cwmbran, Torfaen NP44 1PX
- West Centre, EK Shopping Centre, East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire G74 1LL
- 36 Old George Mall, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 2AG
- Eden Center, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP11 2HW
- 10 West Street, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1PB
- Kiosk A2, West Orchards Shopping Centre, Coventry, Warwickshire CV1 1QX
- 53 Harpur Centre, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 1TJ
- The Procession, Canterbury CT1 2SG
- 108 Oxford Street, London, Greater London W1D 1LR
- 7 Thackery Mall, Fareham, Hampshire PO16 0PQ
- Banbury Gateway Shopping Park, Daventry Road, Banbury
- The Shires, Trowbridge, Avon BA14 8AT
- 9 Clock Tower Shopping Centre, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 2JR
- 6 Union Street, Torquay, Devon TQ2 5PL
- 6 Banks Street, Newquay, Cornwall TR7 1JF
- County Square Shopping Centre, Ashford, Kent TN23 1YA
- Victoria Centre, Mostyn Street, Llandudno, Gwynedd LL30 2NG
- Upper Mall Level, Churchill Square Shopping Centre, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 2TD
- (The Front), Lorebourne Centre, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway DG1 2BD
- Grey Friars, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire SA31 3BN
- Mill Street Mall, Grosvenor Shopping Centre, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 6LY
- Phase 1 Mercat Centre, Kirkcaldy, Fife KY1 1NU
- 5 St Modwens Walk, Cooper Square Shopping Centre, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire DE14 1HL
- The Willow Brook Center, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS32 8EF
- 10 Kingfisher Walk, Redditch, Worcestershire B97 4EY
- George Yard, Braintree, Essex CM7 1RB
- Gloucester Quays Shopping Outlet, Gloucester GL1 5SH
- Unicorn Way, The Kingdom Shopping Centre, Glenrothes, Fife KY7 5NU
- 83A North Street, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1LQ
- Market Gates Shopping Centre, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR30 2AX
- 11 Jackson Square, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 3XG
- South Street Mall, St Johns Centre, King Edward Avenue, Perth, Perth and Kinross PH1 5UX
- Units L3/21, L3/14, Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow, South Lanarkshire G1 2FF
- The Pavilion Shopping Centre, Walthamcross, Hertfordshire EN8 7BY
- 14 The Orchards Shopping Centre, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 3TH
- Sterling Mills Designer Outlet Village, Sterling Mills, Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire FK13 6HQ
- 9 King Street, St. Hellier, Jersey, Channel Islands JE2 4WE
- 150b Stoneybutts, Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 7JD
- 5-7 Chapel Street, Southport, Lancashire PR8 1AE
- Elephant Yard, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 4QQ
- 5 Gomond Street, Maylord Shopping Centre, Hereford, Herefordshire HR1 2DP
- The Mall, Newlands Shopping Centre, Kettering, Leicestershire NN16 8DP
- Resorts World Birmingham, Pendigo Way, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1PU
- 13 Woolshops, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX1 1RU
- 23 Treaty Centre, High Street, Hounslow, Greater London TW3 1ES
- Almondvale Centre, Almondvale South, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6RQ
- 48 Broadgate House, Coventry, Warwickshire CV1 1NH
- The Bentall Centre, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 1TR
- 37 Parliament Street, York, North Yorkshire YO1 8RU
- George Street, Hove, East Sussex BN3 3YE
- The Chantry Centre, Andover, Hampshire SP10 1RN
- 214 High Street, Ayr, Ayrshire KA7 1RQ
- Middlebrook Recreational Park, Horwich, Bolton
- 14 Market Way, Exchange Shopping Centre, Rochdale, Lancashire OL16 1EA
- 19 London Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO21 1PQ
- 130 High Street, Winchester SO23 9AX
- 46 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
- The Brunel Centre, Swindon, Wiltshire SN1 1LD
- Talbot Green Retail Park, Talbot Green, Llantrisant
- Park Saddlers Centre Mall, Park Street, Walsall, West Midlands WS1 1YS
- 5/7 West Mall Frenchgate Centre, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN1 1ST
- 74 High Street, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire DN15 6SD
- The Peacocks Centre, Woking, Surrey GU21 6GH
- Vicar Lane, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 1PY
- Gabriel's Hill 2-6 King Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1DE
- Grace Reynolds Way, Camberley, Berkshire GU15 3SN
- The Eastleigh Swan Centre, Hampshire SO50 5SG
- Affinity Devon, Clovelly Road, North Devon, Bideford, Devon, England EX39 3QU
- 33 The Quadrant, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey TW9 1DN
- Cathedral Walk St David's Centre, Cardiff, Glamorgan CF10 2DS
- Castle Quay Shopping Centre, Castle Quay, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX16 5UN
- 18 Chapel Walk, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S1 2PD
- Riverside Wharf, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire SA61 2LJ
- 8 Risman Place, Washington Square, Workington, Cumbria CA14 3DB
- Kiosk 2, Broadwalk Centre, Edgware, Edgware, Greater London HA8 7BD
- St. Nicholas Centre, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB10 1HW
- Borough Parade, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 3WL
- 62a Market Street, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 2HD
- Fishergate Walk, St George's Centre, Preston, Lancashire PR1 2NR
- Wellington Square, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland TS18 1RH
- The Lowry Gallery, Level 8, The Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester M50 3AG
- The Lanes Center, Carlisle, Cumbria CA3 8NH
- 53 Sandgate Road, Folkestone, Kent CT20 1NY
- 232 The Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP1 1BJ
- 56 Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH1 1LL
- Prospect Centre, Hull, Humberside HU2 8PS
- Castle Walk, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 1AN
- 80 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1EE
- The Mead Development, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7SB
- The Bull Ring, Birmingham, West Midlands B5 4BA
- Lakeside Village, White Rose Way, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN4 5JH
- Chequers Court, Huntingdon, Cambridge PE29 3LJ
- 9 Fremlin Walk, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1QG
- 137 High Street, Elgin, Inverness IV30 1DS
- 4 – 6 Smith Street, St. Peters Port, Guernsey, Guernsey GY1 2NG
- 20 New Conduit Street, Kings Lynn, Kings Lynn PE30 1DL
- Livingston Designer Outlet, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6QX
- Orchard Center, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 7LG
- Britannia Center, Hinckley, Hinckley LE10 1RU
- The Baytree Center, Brentwood, Essex CM14 4BX
- Cabot Circus, Bristol, Avon BS1 3BD
- Market Square, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 2AL
- 3A Winchester Circle, The Kingston Centre, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK10 0BA
- Manchester Fort Shopping Centre, Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester M8 8EP
- Asda West Swindon Shopping Centre, Swindon SN5 7DL
- Asda, Tollgate Road, Beckton E6 5JP
- Asda Pudsey Supercentre, Owlcotes Shopping Centre, Stanningley, Pudsey LS28 6AR
- Asda, Chalfont Way, Earley, Reading RG6 5TT
- Ground Floor, Asda Watford Supercentre, St Albans Road, Watford WD24 7RT
Northern Ireland
- Emeside Shopping Centre, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh BT74 6JQ
- The Quays Albert Basin, Newry, County Down BT35 8QS
- Diamond Centre, Coleraine, Londonderry BT52 1DE
- Ards Shopping Centre, Newtownards, County Down BT23 4EU
- Bow Street Mall, Lisburn, County Antrim BT28 1AW
- Bloomfield Shopping Centre, Bloomfield, County Down BT19 7HB
Republic of Ireland
- West Manor Retail Park, Tralee, County Kerry
- The Shopping Centre Fair Hill Kilburn High Road, Killarney, County Kerry
- 52 St. Patrick Street, Cork, County Cork
- 4 Cruises Street, Limerick, Limerick County
- Nutgrove Shopping Centre, Rathfarmham, Dublin 14
- Harbour Place, Mullingar, West Meath N91 VY16
- Central Mall Ilac Shopping Centre, Henry Street, Dublin
- 98 Main Street, Bray, County Wicklow
- Omni Park Centre Santry, Dublin
- Scotch Hall, Drogheda, Louth
- Bridgewater Shopping Centre, Arklow, County Wicklow
- 3 Johnston Court, Sligo
- McDonagh Junction, Kilkenny
- 4 North Main Street, Wexford
Ann’s Cottage surf shop
Ann's Cottage, recognized for its surf and casual wear along with accessories, has shut down its main store.
The shop in Falmouth, Cornwall, was scheduled to close on Sunday, November 9, only a few months after the company closed its Wadebridge location.
Becci Cornelius, co-owner of Ann's Cottage, clarified the choice to theFalmouth Packet, stating: “This decision does not indicate the store's performance — which has been positive and adequately supported — but instead represents a thoughtful choice aligned with the company's new strategy.”
She mentioned that they are "simplifying processes and allocating resources to regions where we anticipate the most significant potential for sustained expansion."
Seven Ann's Cottage outlets remain in Cornwall.
A sign on the store's window read: "Thank you to the staff and customers for their support over the years."
After many amazing years, we're regretfully closing our Falmouth store.
We would like to convey our most sincere thanks to every wonderful customer for their continued loyalty and assistance throughout the years.
Gap makes a comeback
It's not entirely bleak for the high street, as Gap is planned to make a comeback to the UK high street aftershutting down all 81 of its locations in 2021.
The clothing retailer was extremely popular in the 1980s and 1990s but chose to shut down its physical stores on main streets as part of an effort to focus more on digital platforms.
Drapers has stated that the clothing brand has launched three outlets:
- Westfield London (December 4)
- Covent Garden (November 7)
- Wembley Park (December 12)
It had previously shut down its British outlets four years ago because of 'market conditions,' but could still be available in Next stores across the UK.
The latest Covent Garden site covers 3,250 square feet spread over two levels. Gap's President and CEO, Mark Breitbard, stated: 'We are excited to come back to this famous location and reconnect with our UK customers.'
Gap joins other retail brands making a comeback on the high street, such asTopshop opening inside John Lewis stores next year.
The narrative was first released on October 24 and has been revised afterward.
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