The FIVE high street chains closing shops this weekend as 14 stores set to shut before end of the month
HIGH streets across the UK are facing another blow as major retailers prepare to pull down the shutters for good.
This weekend, five popular chains will close stores, leaving shoppers without local favourites and dozens of workers facing an uncertain future.
It’s yet another sign of the challenging conditions on the high street, with rising costs, reduced footfall, and changing shopping habits forcing businesses to make tough decisions.
Around 13,479 high street stores shut for good last year, according to fresh research from the Centre for Retail Research published today.
It estimates that around 17,350 stores will close this year as higher national insurance contributions and increases in the national minimum wage take effect in April.
Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets, Hargreaves Lansdown: ‘’While big rent decision may be looming for some retailers, many are also grappling with how to deal with the extra costs burdens they will need to carry due to changes made in the Budget.
The increase in National Insurance contributions for employers, along with increases in the minimum wage will add to payroll costs.
“Some retailers may decide to pass on price hikes to customers, others could decide to freeze recruitment, restrain pay rises, or even shed jobs.”
She added that “Consumers are also showing more signs of caution, with a survey from GfK showing confidence in the UK’s economic prospects has fallen back.”
It’s important to note that shops may close stores due to a number of reasons, such as opening one in a better performing area or if leases expire.
Here are all the retailers that will close their stores for good this weekend…
Nike Factory Store
The Nike Factory Store at Craigleith Retail Park in Edinburgh is set to close its doors for the final time on Sunday, January 26.
The store, which offers discounted Nike footwear and clothing, has been a go-to destination for bargain hunters for years.
But it will soon be gone after the sportswear giant failed to agree on a new lease with the landlord.
Around 30 employees will lose their jobs, with no opportunities for relocation within Scotland.
Nike confirmed the closure in a statement, saying: “We constantly evaluate our store locations to give us the best opportunity to connect with consumers.
“As part of this strategy, the Nike Craigleith Store will close per January 26.”
WHSmith
Another familiar name will vanish from Cambridgeshire’s Broad Street as WHSmith closes its store on Saturday, January 25.
Customers in March will now have to travel to Ely, St Ives, or Cambridge to visit their nearest WHSmith, as the retailer continues to downsize.
A spokesperson said: “We are disappointed to be losing our presence in March and would like to thank our customers for their support over the years.
“We’re also grateful to our colleagues, whom we will support through this transition and redeploy to nearby stores where possible.”
This comes as part of a wider wave of WHSmith closures, with 17 other branches shutting nationwide.
List of WHSmiths store closures in 2025
Here is the full list of WHSmith closures taking place in 2025 so far:
- Bournemouth Old Christchurch Road, Dorset – January 18
- Luton, Bedfordshire – January 18
- March, Cambridgeshire – January 25
- Basingstoke, Hampshire – February 1
- Newtown, Powys – February 15
- Winton branch in Bournemouth, Dorset – February 15
- Rhyl, Denbighshire – February 15
- Bolton, Greater Manchester – February
- Accrington, Lancashire – March 15
- Halstead, Essex – April
- Halesowen, West Midlands – April
- Diss, Norfolk – April
- Newport, Wales – April
- Haverhill, Suffolk – April 26
- Woolwich – April
- Stockton, County Durham – May
- Oldham, Greater Manchester – May
- Orpington, Greater London – no date given yet
New Look
Fashion retailer New Look is saying goodbye to Wickford, Essex, as its town centre store shuts down today, January 24.
The closure comes after more than 15 years of trading in the area, with the landlord requesting the property back.
The fashion retailer has been battling high street challenges for years, restructuring its portfolio to cut costs.
The retailer also shut its Charnwood branch in Loughborough, earlier this month.
New Look bosses have suggested the business will speed up store closures with 100 branches at risk, following a hike to National Insurance for businesses that’s due to come in from April.
According to The Times, at least a quarter of its 364 UK stores are at risk as leases expire.
FatFace
FatFace on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, is another casualty of the weekend closures.
The store, which opened in 2004, will shut its doors permanently on Sunday January 26 —or sooner if stock sells out during its ongoing closing-down sale.
The brand, known for casual clothing and outdoor wear, has been a staple on the bustling shopping street for years, but it’s now the latest in a line of closures impacting the area.
The Entertainer
In Luton, toy shop The Entertainer will close on Saturday January 25, following the closure of the town’s WHSmith and Post Office branch earlier this month.
A Luton Point spokesperson said: “While we’re saddened by The Entertainer’s decision to leave, we’re pleased to have Toy Town on board to continue offering children’s toys.
“We’re also working to secure a new operator for the Post Office.”
The Entertainer confirmed the decision, with head of region Nigel Overton saying: “We are sad to be closing our Luton store and thank our customers and staff for their loyalty over the years.”
Earlier this month, the toy store also announced the closure of its Croydon’s Whitgift shopping centre branch
What’s happening on the high street?
The latest wave of closures adds to the thousands of shops that shut for good last year.
Another 14 stores are set to close by the end of this month.
Homebase has confirmed the closures of its 13 stores this month.
Elsewhere, after a string of closures in 2024, Dobbies Garden Centre has announced it will be closing its Berkshire branch on January 31.
While some retailers are investing in new formats and locations, others are being forced to make drastic cuts to survive.
For communities losing these stores, it’s more than just an inconvenience—it’s a sign of how tough things remain for Britain’s high streets.
Just this month shoppers saw the closure of eight major stores, including The Body Shop and Starbucks.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”