A high street brand described as ‘much loved’ is to close 32 stores
Caroline Barry and Samantha Bartlett
17:59, 10 Jan 2026Updated 17:59, 10 Jan 2026
A popular chain is under threat(Image: Getty Images)
Fashion retailer River Island announced this week that it will close a total of 32 stores this month. The chain said the move is part of a bigger restructuring plan to save the fashion retailer after it reported £32.3million pre-tax loss and a 19% slump in sales.
The high street brand reported that the increase in online shopping and high operational costs are some of the reasons for the closures. Ben Lewis, the brand’s CEO, added that the fashion brand has a ‘large portfolio of stores no longer aligned to our customer’s needs’ despite it being ‘much loved’ by UK shoppers, reports the Mirror.
The brand operates 200 shops and employs more than 5,000 staff, with many branches in Scotland. River Island hopes to relocate some of the roles where possible.
On the list are several Scottish stores including:
Edinburgh Princes Street, ScotlandCumbernauld, ScotlandFalkirk, ScotlandKilmarnock, ScotlandKirkcaldy, ScotlandPerth, Scotland
River Island clothing chain is set to close 32 stores(Image: In Pictures via Getty Images)
Reddit users shared their reasons why they thought the brand would not survive after a report outlined it was at risk of collapse six months ago. Some expressed their surprise that it had outlasted high street giant, Topshop.
One person wrote on a thread at the time: “Always found it odd that they were able to outlast Topshop etc. Their stores are all quite old and tired and stuff was always very overpriced for what it is.”
While someone else agreed: “It’s been overpriced for years so this is hardly surprising. When there’s so much competition you have to up your game and they didn’t.”
A third chimed in: “H&M are a far better shop. River island can’t compete with online or high street retail.”
Despite the comments on the stores, one person did admit they felt ‘sad’ about the news while others expressed sympathy for those who may lose their jobs.
Despite the comments one person admitted they were “sad” about the news, while some also feared for those who would lose their jobs. Marks & Spencer, Morrisons and Poundland all closed stores last year too, with many closures expected to continue into 2026.
River Island stores closing in 2026:Aylesbury, BuckinghamshireBangor Bloomfield, Northern IrelandBarnstaple, DevonBeckton, Greater LondonBrighton, East SussexBurton-Upon-Trent, DerbyshireGloucester, Gloucestershire Great Yarmouth Grimsby, Lincolnshire Hanley, Staffordshire Hartlepool, County Durham Hereford, HerefordshireLeeds Birstall Park, West Yorkshire Lisburn, Northern Ireland Northwich, Cheshire Norwich, Norfolk Oxford, OxfordshireRochdale, Greater Manchester St Helens, Merseyside Surrey Quays, Greater London Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire Taunton, Somerset Workington, Cumbria Wrexham, WalesPoole, Dorset