High street discounter with 187 stores to close town centre branch TODAY as shoppers cry it’s ‘gutting’
A HIGH street discounter is set to close a town centre branch today – as shoppers cry it’s “gutting”.
The Original Factory Shop, a department store chain, has called time on its branch in Haverfordwest, Wales.
Bosses confirmed the news on the branch’s Facebook page on November 7, writing: “We are sorry to let you know our store will close it’s doors on 14th December 2024.”
“We take this opportunity to thank all of the local community and our store colleagues for their support throughout our time here in Haverfordwest.”
The post, which racked up a whopping 97 shares, was also flooded with comments.
One disappointed customer wrote: “Gutting loved coming in to the shop honestly another loss to Haverfordwest.”
Another said: “Sorry to hear you are losing- it’s always been a great place for bargains.”
And a third echoed: “This is so sad, and on top of Christmas, feel gutted for them.”
Other users praised the women who have run the shop, and said they would miss them.
One said: “Sad news – great little shop and staff are lovely.”
Another typed: “I will be so sad to see this lovely little shop going . Always such friendly, helpful staff. Good luck ladies in whatever work you do next.”
Meanwhile, another gushed: “Aww absolutely gutted your closing girls. Will miss you all very much. You’ve all been so lovely on the odd occasion I visit. Always a laugh with you idiots.”
Since the closure was announced, several closing down sales have been launched at the store.
These started at 25 per cent off on November 21, with a further price drop to 50 per cent off on December 2.
And, on Thursday (December 12), bosses announced a huge discount of 75 per cent off until the closure.
Other The Original Factory Shop closures
The Deal store closure is not the only one to be announced by The Original Factory Shop this year either.
It has already pulled the shutters down on seven stores in recent months:
- Brightlingsea, Essex
- Bodmin, Cornwall
- Chepstow, Wales
- Fakenham, Norfolk
- Harwich, Essex
- Mildenhall, Suffolk
- Padiham, Lancashire
- Taunton, Somerset
- Deal, Kent
It comes after the retailer, known for selling everything from clothing to homeware and stationery, shut a number of branches last year.
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.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
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. 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.
Boss Stuart Machin recently said that when it relocated a tired store in Chesterfield to a new big store in a retail park half a mile away, its sales in the area rose by 103 per cent.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase 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.
But it’s not all bad news, as it has been opening stores across the UK too, as it shakes up its presence on the high street.
The full list of stores that have opened since August 2023 includes:
- Kirkintilloch – opened August 24
- Stonehaven – opened August 31
- Blandford Forum – opened August 31
- Haddington – opened September 7
- Wetherby – opened September 7
- Nairn – opened September 14
- Ashbourne – opened September 14
- Castle Douglas – opened September 21
- Penrith – opened September 21
- Inverness – opened September 28
- Attleborough – opened September 28
- Ayr – opened October 5
- Ringwood – opened October 5
- Perth – opened October 12
- Lanark – opened October 19
- Peterhead – opened October 26
OTHER STORE CLOSURES
It’s not just WHSmith closing stores across the UK.
Dobbies set to shut 16 of its branches has said that they will close before Christmas.
The garden centre chain first revealed that it was shutting sites last month but did not say exactly when they would close their doors for the final time.
The chain, which has 77 sites across the UK, launched the restructuring plan to address “historically uneconomical rent costs”.
A trendy fashion chain owned by H&M will close all of its stores in a shock move for the high street.
Monki has seven stores in the UK, including a site on London‘s Carnaby Street and Manchester‘s Arndale Centre.
That’s because H&M has plans to either shut down Monki stores or merge them with another one of its fashion brands, Weekday.
The Scandinavian retail giant wants to blend the two brands together to make a one-stop shop that appeals to young shoppers.
Elsewhere, card retailer Clintons is set to close another store and have launched a huge closing-down sale.
Andover, Hampshire is to lose its Clintons branch on the high street when it shuts its doors for the final time next year.
Many other Clintons stores are set to close in the coming months, with one in Southend-on-Sea, Essex due to shut in January next year.