Ten more well-known stores will shut their doors for good over the next 7 days, dealing another heavy blow to Britain’s struggling high streets. The closures span retailers including Marks & Spencer, GAME, Hobbycraft and Poundland, with branches across England and Scotland set to disappear before the end of September.
Retailers continue to face mounting pressures from rising costs, reduced footfall and the rapid shift to online shopping. The British Retail Consortium recently revealed that more than 1,000 large-format stores have closed in the past five years, with hundreds more expected to follow if business rates increase as planned.
Among this week’s closures is Marks & Spencer’s long-standing city centre store in Wolverhampton, with the retailer seeking to relocate to a food-only site nearby.
Gaming chain GAME will pull out of The Galleries in Bristol on Tuesday as the company adapts to the rise of digital game downloads. Hobbycraft is closing two of its outlets, including its King’s Lynn branch earlier in the coming week and its Stafford shop on Sunday.
Poundland is also undergoing a major restructuring after being sold to investment firm Gordon Brothers for £1 earlier this year. As part of the shake-up, the discounter will close five of its stores later this month, in Havant, Newport, Ripley, Swanley and Uttoxeter, alongside its Glasgow Partick branch.
Full list of closures taking place between September 22 and 28:
Hobbycraft, King’s Lynn – 22 September
GAME, The Galleries, Bristol – 25 September
M&S, Wolverhampton city centre – 27 September
Poundland, Havant – 28 September
Poundland, Newport, Shropshire – 28 September
Poundland, Ripley, Derbyshire – 28 September
Poundland, Swanley – 28 September
Poundland, Uttoxeter – 28 September
Poundland, Partick, Glasgow – 28 September
Hobbycraft, Stafford – 28 September