Iconic toy chain with over 120 locations to close city centre store within days
A MAJOR UK toy chain with more than 120 locations has announced that it will close a popular store in a fresh blow for shoppers.
Toy giant Smyths Toys has confirmed that it will permanently close its superstore on Churchill Way West in Salisbury tomorrow.
The shop will shut its doors for good because its lease is expiring.
The unit is set to become a new Lidl supermarket.
A Homesense store which is based next door will also “vacate the site” according to a planning application for the new Lidl outlet.
It is not yet clear when the Homesense store will close its doors for the last time.
The news will come as a fresh blow for the town, which has also seen furnishings shop Home Store close down this week.
A spokesperson for Smyths Toys thanked customers for “being a part of the Smyths Toys family in Salisbury”.
They added: “It is with deep regret that we announce the closure of our Smyths Toys Superstores location in Salisbury, effective 5 January 2025.
“We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated staff and loyal customers who have supported us over the years.
“We understand the impact this may have on the community and will do everything possible to ensure a smooth transition for our employees.”
Shoppers were quick to take to social media to share their disappointment.
One person said: “Very sad be nothing in Salisbury soon.”
Meanwhile, another said: “They were stripping shelves in there today, doubt there’ll be anything in there by Saturday! Really not sure where else you’ll get toys in town now!”
While a third added: “Such a shame. No one wants this so how can it be happening??!!”
A planning application has been submitted to Wiltshire Council to make changes to two units in the retail park to accommodate the Lidl store.
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.
Lidl has confirmed the plan and the new supermarket will be the chain’s second store in Salisbury.
It already has a supermarket in Hatches Lane.
A spokesperson said the store will feature a bakery and Middle of Lidl aisle.
There will also be toilets, baby-changing facilities and on-site parking.
Other store closures
Smyths Toys is not the only retailer that will close stores this month.
A popular branch of The Body Shop in Norwich will close for the last time after 44 years.
The shop in Castle Street will close its doors for good on January 15.
The chain will also shutter a shop in Sheffield city centre after 34 years of trading.
Its last day at Orchard Square will be January 15, 2025.
The closures come after the company was saved from administration in September when it was bought by growth capital firm Aurea Group.
Meanwhile, H&M-owned fashion chain Monki will close two of its stores in January.
Those set to shut are located at the Intu shopping centre in Newcastle Upon Tyne and in Manchester’s Arndale Centre.
The Newcastle branch has already closed while the Manchester store will shut for good on January 17.
H&M plans to close seven Monki stores as it merges the brand with trendy fashion chain Weekday.
Meanwhile, stationer WHSmith will close a store in Bournemouth, Dorset, this month.
The shop on Old Christchurch Road will pull down its shutters for the last time on January 18.
The stationary and book chain has shuttered ten stores since March 2023, including shops in Manchester and Somerset.
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