‘Shock’ as outdoor clothes shop with over 200 branches draws shutters down on ‘excellent’ store forever today
A MAJOR high street brand will pull the plug on one of its stores today – as locals mourn the “shock” closure.
Outdoor clothes shop Trespass will pull down the shutters at its outlet in Blackburn, Lancashire today.
The chain, which sells a variety of its own-brand coats, clothing, socks, shoes, boots and outdoor equipment shut some of its 300-plus stores last year.
Trespass had no plans to relocate staff to other nearby stores, Lancashire Telegraph reported.
Many customers have now taken social media to share their disappointment over the decision.
“Oh no, I used to go here a lot,” one user said.
A second chimed in: “I’m just shocked.
“Can’t believe how many store closures are happening in Lancashire.”
The firm announced in July last year it was closing six branches.
More high street closures
Many retail chains are set to close down branches in 2024 and some left the high street altogether in 2023.
Rising costs and a lack of customers through the door have made it difficult for even the largest retailers to survive.
Possibly the biggest shock of last year was the collapse of popular discount chain Wilko.
It disappeared from the high street after failing to find a buyer to take on the whole business.
The Range bought the Wilko brand name and website, and since then has opened up three concept stores in Plymouth, Exeter and Luton.
Stationary chain Paperchase also went bust in 2023 but has since re-appeared in certain branches of Tesco.
Other retailers such as Boots, Poundland and Jack Wills all closed branches in 2023.
According to the British Retail Consortium, 6,000 retail outlets have closed down since 2018.
More changes are in store for 2024 too as some major retailers look to shake up their portfolios.
Large retailers such as Boots, Costa Next and Sports Direct are set to close down some locations.
We have the full list of shops closing down in 2024 including branches of Argos and WHSmith.
Government injects the high street with a £7 million funding boost
Ten struggling high streets will take part in a new government pilot – the High Street Accelerators programme - to create partnerships that empower residents and community organisations to work together on long-term regeneration plans.
The funding will help communities partner with local authorities and businesses to address some of the biggest challenges facing their high streets – building on wider action to tackle empty shops, anti-social behaviour and a lack of visitors.
These 10 areas to be called High Street Accelerators will receive an initial £2.37 million to kickstart their partnerships – a total of £237,000 each. They can also apply for a share of up to £5 million to improve their high streets’ green spaces and create more pleasant environments for residents to meet and socialise.
This £7 million will be spent over the next two years and the impact will be evaluated to inform future government policy and support for left-behind high streets, building on larger interventions like the £1.1 billion Long-Term Plan for Towns.
“It has been a tough few years for our high streets following the pandemic and the changes we’ve seen in consumer behaviour,” Minister for Levelling Up Jacob Young said.
“We know that local people know what’s best for their area, and we’re keen to understand the benefits that High Street Accelerators could bring working with local businesses and their communities.
“These Accelerators will complement other interventions like High Street Rental Auctions, empowering local people to tackle vacancy and other issues on their high streets.”
The High Street Accelerators Pilot Programme was announced in March 2023 as part of the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan.
It will complement other interventions designed to revive England’s high streets such as the High Streets Task Force which is helping local leaders to regenerate their areas, and changing planning rules so councils have greater certainty.