Major retailer to close another store in hours after shutting 18 branches
A MAJOR retailer is closing one of its branches today after shuttering 18 across the UK.
Dobbies Garden Centre is pulling down the shutters on its store at Hare Hatch, Berkshire, in a blow for shoppers.
The chain is known for selling everything from garden furniture to pet supplies and plants.
A spokesperson previously told The Sun the site is closing but reopening under new owners, Squire’s.
Sarah Squire, chairman of Squire’s, said it was “excited” to be taking on the branch, which is opening in the second half of February.
She added: “It will be business as usual at the site for the garden centre and Café Bar when we open, with the centre’s soft play – which is currently closed – re-opening as soon as practically possible.”
News the branch is being reopened by Squire’s hasn’t stopped shoppers and locals from sharing their disappointment though.
One on Facebook said: “So disappointing watching so many garden centres and DIY shops close down.
“Following on the footsteps of Homebase is another, Dobbies at Hare Hatch.”
Another wrote: “Lots of shops closing.
“I also think online shopping is impacting but in our area, the loss of DIY shops and garden centres is quite an issue.”
It comes after Dobbie’s closed 12 branches before Christmas after approval from the courts.
A total of 10 sites shut with an eleventh site in Antrim, Northern Ireland, originally earmarked for closure saved.
Dobbie’s confirmed two additional garden centres in Morpeth and Stapleton would be moved to other garden centre operators.
This followed six Little Dobbies branches closing in November, including in Bristol, Richmond and Chiswick.
This is the full list of Little Dobbies stores that closed:
- Little Dobbies – Bristol
- Little Dobbies – Richmond
- Little Dobbies – Cheltenham
- Little Dobbies – Edinburgh Stockbridge
- Little Dobbies – Chiswick
- Little Dobbies – Westbourne Grove
Dobbies now continues to operate around 60 stores across the UK following the closures.
DIY and garden centre retailers struggle
Dobbies is not the only DIY or garden centre retailer struggling across the UK.
High inflation coupled with a squeeze on consumers’ finances has meant people have less money to spend in the shops.
Major chain Homebase fell into administration in November, putting all its then 133 UK stores at risk.
CDS Superstores, which owns The Range and Wilko brands, stepped in and said it would take over up to 70 of these stores.
Earlier this month, CDS confirmed it would reopen 50 of these 70 sites before the end of April.
But it means a number of Homebase stores are still at risk of closure, while others have been earmarked to shut.
Meanwhil, last Spring, Kingfisher, which owns B&Q and Screwfix, revealed its annual profits had slumped by more than a quarter.
The company reported a 25.1% drop in underlying pre-tax profits to £568million for the year to January 31, 2024.
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.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April 2025, 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.
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.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko 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.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
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