Store closures news and archive

UK: Nearly 13,500 retail stores closed in 2024, independents hit hardest

New figures have shown that 13,479 retail stores across the UK closed for good over the course of 2024, an increase of 28 percent on levels from the year prior, according to provisional data from the Centre for Retail Research. This reflected a rate of around 37 store closures a day. Almost half of the yearly figure–7,537 in total–shuttered...

Retail

Ted Baker to close all UK stores this week as Frasers talks halt

After a period of reported back-and-forth, it is now believed that talks between Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group and Ted Baker parent company Authentic Brands Group have stalled. The news comes ahead of the imminent closure of Ted Baker’s remaining 31 stores in the UK, which are set to shutter this week. Frasers’ name first came into circulation...

Retail

Ted Baker is closing North American stores amid bankruptcy proceedings

All Ted Baker stores in the North American region are reportedly preparing to close after the British retailer filed for bankruptcy last month. It is believed that 31 of its US stores and nine of its Canada-based stores are to shutter, while both regions are also no longer able to shop via the brand’s online website. This comes shortly after the...

Retail

House of Fraser to shutter two more locations

Frasers Group has reportedly confirmed that two of its House of Fraser locations are set to close in the coming month, one of which is to do so next week. The retailer is preparing to shutter its Solihull space on August 28, while its store in Guildford is also planning to close its doors on September 30. According to various media reports,...

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Britain loses 6,000 retail outlets in five years amid ‘crippling’ rates

A new report by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the Local Data Company (LDC) has revealed that Britain has lost 6,000 retail outlets in the past five years due to “cripping business rates and the impact of covid lockdowns”. The North and Midlands were the most impacted, seeing the highest amount of empty storefronts, while London’s...

Retail

UK store closures reach five-year peak

The number of stores closed in the UK reached a five-year high as more than 17,000 shut their doors in 2022. According to a report from the Centre of Retail Research (CRR), one in five physical stores in the UK closed within the last five years. The number included 14,583 in 2018 and increased to 17,145 last year. The industry has been in crisis...

Retail

50,000 U.S. retail stores forecast to close over the next five years

The shopping mall may not be dead, but that hasn’t dented the number of retail stores expected to close over the next five years. Between 40,000 and 50,000 shops could be shuttered, according to figures from Swiss investment bank UBS. The outlook is slightly better than during the pandemic, when 80,000 stores were expected to close, but the high...

Retail

Over 20,000 UK stores could remain permanently closed after lockdown, experts warn

As many as 20,620 UK stores could never reopen and 235,714 retail jobs could be lost after the country’s Covid-19 lockdown is lifted, experts say. On Monday evening, prime minister Boris Johnson ordered the closure of all ‘non-essential’ stores, including fashion and electrical stores, in a bid to curb the growth of the coronavirus pandemic. But...

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These are the companies downsizing or filing for bankruptcy in 2019

These are hard times for brick and mortar retail. While consumers still like to shop in brick and mortar stores, many retailers have been struggling to stay afloat due to dropping footfall in shopping malls and competition with online retailers. Here’s a recap of the fashion businesses which announced downsizing plans or filed for bankruptcy...