Bargain chain with 850 branches to shut another store TODAY as fans sob ‘we’re turning into a ghost town’
A MAJOR bargain chain with more than 800 branches across the country is set to close another store today for good.
The retailer will close its outlet in Middlesbrough’s council-owned Cleveland Centre after it failed to retain the lease.
The branch had launched a massive 25 per cent discount on every item just before the devastating closure.
It is understood that the retailer will attempt to relocate the staff from the current store to different locations.
A spokesperson for Poundland said: “Sadly we’ve been unable to agree on lease terms that would enable us to keep the store trading and we’re consolidating into our other nearby store in Middlesbrough’s centre.
“Whenever we have to close a store, it goes without saying we do all we can to find alternative roles for colleagues.”
A nearby store in Captain Cook Square in the town will not be affected.
But shoppers have been left crying after hearing about the shock closure.
One such person said: “There’s another one biting the dust it’s diabolical this town centre is a ghost town now.”
Another went online to say: “Won’t be the ‘town’ before long, won’t be any shops left. Just gonna be a derelict wasteland.”
While a third added sarcastically: “Great another empty plot in the town.”
It is the latest retail closure to hit Middlesbrough, with other stores such as The Body Shop and The Wired Lobby having already shut up shop.
It comes after the bargain chain closed its outlet in Chadwell Heath on the outskirts of east London a few days ago.
Staff at the shop said there was “barely anything left” after they put signs up for a half-price closing-down sale.
A local shopper told the Romford Recorder: “Somebody I know said they went and there was hardly anything left.”
She added: “A lot of people will miss having that down the High Road.”
A third said: “Times are hard now if Poundland has shut. There’s nothing left.”
And another local said: “Napoleon said we were a nation of shopkeepers. Now we’re a nation of boarded-up shops.”
Poundland also closed its store in Colwyn Bay, Wales, on January 5 and a branch in Basingstoke on December 31.
But the closures come amid major expansion plans for the retailer.
The retailer did open up 80 stores in the last quarter of 2023.
Since then new stores have opened in Perry Barr, Leith, Biggleswade, Bridgwater and Norwich.
The chain is also giving a makeover to 150 locations.
The store upgrade is part of a huge new makeover project that the chain is calling “Project Evo” and some renovations have already been completed.
This includes sites in Urmston, Greater Manchester, Wolverhampton, West Midlands and Leeds Crown Point.
In total, 150 stores will receive makeovers by August 2024 – we have the full list.
After the alterations, all the stores will offer more baby and kids clothing for parents on a budget.
BRITAIN’S RETAIL APOCALYPSE
The face of the high street is changing at a rapid rate leaving some town centres almost unrecognisable.
Since the shops shut down during the pandemic many people took to shopping online and have continued with that trend.
This has left many high street retailers with a much lower footfall meaning that having physical stores is no longer viable.
This coupled with the rising cost of living and increased rents has seen some big-name retailers vanish altogether.
In February this year, the iconic health and beauty chain Body Shop fell into administration, putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk.
Seven stores closed immediately and since then 75 more closures have been announced.
We have the full list of sites that have been earmarked for closure.
Retailers closing stores in 2024
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 are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
Here’s a list of all the big-name brands closing stores this year:
- Argos – The brand announced plans to close 100 standalone UK branches last year as it looks to move away from the high street and focus on expanding its presence in supermarkets.
- B&Q – The chain has over 300 shops across the UK, so chances are you have one near you, but some stores have closed in recent months.
- Boots – The health and beauty chain announced that it would be closing 300 stores last July. Closures are ongoing and this will see the retailer’s estate reduced from 2,200 to 1,900 shops.
- Clintons – Clintons mulled plans to close 38 shops in a bid to avoid insolvency late last year. We’ve listed the stores affected.
- Costa Coffee – The caffeine giant has around 2,000 sites nationwide, so chances are you’ll have one near you. The chain has shut the doors to dozens of its sites recently. We’ve revealed which stores are due to close this year.
- Iceland – The supermarket has more than 900 stores but closed nearly two dozen sites in 2023, and more selected shops are due to shut.
- Lidl – The supermarket, which has 950 stores, is changing up shop locations, which has meant that some stores have to close. But the retailer is also looking to open 12 new supermarkets.
- M&S – M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, has been closing a string of branches across the country in a blow for shoppers. It’s not all bad news, though, because the chain also has big plans to open dozens of new shops as well.
- Trespass – The firm announced in July last year that it was closing six branches, but more are on the way.
- WHSmith – The retail giant, which runs over 1,100 stores, has shuttered eight stores since March 2023, but more are coming.
Elsewhere retailers such as Boots and Marks and Spencer are taking drastic action and shaking up their portfolio of stores in a bid to survive.
M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, shut down locations in Manchester, Swindon and Birmingham between August and November last year.
However, it also opened up several new locations in November, including Lakeside and the Trafford Centre.
It is all part of the retailer’s five-year plan to ensure it has the stores in the best locations possible.
We have the full list of M&S store openings and closures – see if yours is on the list.
Boots has also been closing down branches, it started in 2020 when it shut down 48 opticians with the loss of 4,000 jobs.
Since then it has been closing locations up and down the country, leaving a wake of disgruntled locals behind it.
Some shoppers have reported “queues out of the door” at alternative pharmacies, following the closure of their local Boots.
However, Boots has said that it is only closing premises where there is an alternative within three miles.
We have the full list of Boots stores that have already shut and those that have been earmarked for closure – is yours on the list?
This month, 14 stores will be exiting the high street, as 14 retailers including M&S and Costa will pull the shutters down on locations for the final time.
IT’S NOT ALL BAD NEWS
Lidl is set to open hundreds of new stores across the UK.
Aldi has announced that it will open 35 new UK stores.
The openings form part of Aldi‘s long-term target of 1,500 stores in the UK.
The supermarket is set to invest £550million in expanding its UK footprint this year alone.
Aldi said that each new store opening will create around 40 new jobs on average.
Asda has been opening hundreds of convenience stores in recent months as it looks to rival major players Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
B&M plans to open “not less than” 45 brand new stores across the UK in each of the next two consecutive years.
The parent company of Bonmarché, Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) and Peacocks, Purepay Retail Limited, has said it wants to open 100 new high street stores over the next 18 months.
It has yet to give the exact locations where it will open the 100 stores or when they will open.
One of the UK’s favourite bakery chains, Greggs, has exclusively revealed to The Sun plans to open more outlet branches by the end of 2025.
Home Bargains, which was running just under 600 branches as of last June, has said it wants to “eventually have between 800 and 1,000 retail outlets open”.
The major discounter has stopped short of saying when it wants to reach the 1,000 store target, however.
Primark is also opening new branches and investing and renovating more than a dozen of its existing shops.
Screwfix is set to open 40 new stores nationwide as its owner, Kingfisher, seeks to expand the DIY brand’s national presence.
The brand opened two new stores in March, and a further three new shops will open this month.
Tesco has revealed plans to open 70 more stores across the UK over the next year as part of major expansion plans.
WHSmith has turned its focus to the travel side of its business, with plans to open new sites in airports, railway stations and hospitals.