Britons could see some major changes to their local high street with more stores expected to close this week.
It comes after a quadruple store closure last weekend, when Homebase, Pizza Hut, Clarks and WHSmith shuttered stores for good.
Now two fashion giants, New Look and Bonmarché, are the the next to bid farewell to long-standing branches. New Look, which has 364 stores in the UK, has confirmed it is closing a 30-year-old store today.
The Kent branch will close its doors for good this evening which will be closely followed by the closure of a beloved Bonmarché site that ceases trading this weekend.
Along with the possible UK-wide closure of TGI Friday restaurants, the week marks another crushing blow to high street shoppers adding to the 7,000 store closures that have taken place in the first six months of this year alone, as per research from PwC.
New Look
New Look’s branch in Gillingham High Street, Medway, Kent, will lock its doors for a final time this evening, Tuesday, September 17.
It comes after the unit hosting the branch at 118-120 High Street, near Poundland, was listed for let by estate agents Crosthwaite Commercial for £52,500 per year at the end of 2023.
However, the listing was taken down and New Look bosses confirmed the store will be closing for good. It means that from tomorrow, customers in the Medway area will have to visit the Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre branch instead, which continues to operate as normal.
It’s not all bad news though as customers can also shop online for the full range of products.
Bonmarché
The long-standing fashion brand Bonmarché will bid farewell to its branch in Arnold, Nottingham, this Sunday, September 22.
It is believed to be closing because due to increased rent by the retail unit landlord. Locals were disappointed by news of the closure and even local MP Michael Payne commented.
He said: “Bonmarché has been part of our community for many years, offering an essential service to numerous residents, including those with limited mobility who find it difficult to shop elsewhere or prefer not to shop online. The store has also been a vital source of employment for many dedicated staff members who have consistently contributed to the company and local area.”
The brand has had a tumultuous few years after falling into administration in 2019, but Bonmarché resurged in popularity and opened a run of new branches at the end of 2023.
Despite the closure, fans of the retailer could see more high-street branches open in the next 18 months.
TGI Friday’s
Elsewhere on the high street, restaurant chains are also at risk of closure with TGI Friday’s being the latest chain to come into question.
It comes as the UK branch of the chain’s parent company, Hostmore, had planned to buy out the American TGI brand, but the offer fell through. This led a lot of investors to believe that the company was unable to remain competitive.
Additionally, a drop in UK sales (which are down more than 10 percent over the last year) has sparked concern over the future of the chain’s 85 branches.
As of right now, all UK TGI Friday’s restaurants will stay open as usual but some will likely begin to close shortly. It’s too soon to know which branches will go first, though it could be any of the following:
- Aberdeen Beach
- Aberdeen Union Square
- Ashton-under-Lyne
- Barnsley
- Basildon
- Birmingham
- Birmingham NEC
- Bluewater
- Bolton
- Bournemouth
- Bracknell
- Braehead
- Braintree
- Brighton Marina
- Cabot Circus
- Cardiff Newport Road
- Cardiff St David’s
- Castleford
- Cheadle
- Chelmsford
- Cheltenham
- Cheshire Oaks
- Coventry
- Crawley
- Cribbs Causeway
- Croydon
- Derby
- Doncaster
- Durham
- Edinburgh
- Enfield
- Fareham
- Fort Kinnaird
- Gateshead
- Glasgow Buchanan Street
- Glasgow Fort
- Gloucester Quays
- Halifax
- High Wycombe
- Jersey
- Lakeside Quay
- Lakeside Retail Park
- Leeds Junction 27
- Leeds Wellington Bridge Street
- Leeds White Rose
- Leicester
- Lincoln
- Liverpool One
- Liverpool Speke
- London Leicester Square
- London Stratford City
- London the O2
- Manchester Royal Exchange
- Meadowhall
- Metro Centre Gateshead
- Milton Keynes
- Milton Keynes Stadium
- Newcastle Eldon Square
- Newport Friars Walk
- Northampton
- Norwich
- Nottingham
- Prestwich
- Reading
- Romford
- Rushden Lakes
- Sale
- Sheffield
- Silverburn
- Solihull
- Southampton Retail Park
- Staines
- Stevenage
- Teesside
- Telford
- Trafford Centre
- Trinity Leeds
- Walsall
- Watford Central
- Watford North
- Wembley
- West Quay