CLOSING TIME
High street fashion retailer with 400 stores confirms shop to shut down in days following string of closures
A HIGH street fashion retailer with 400 stores has confirmed another of its shops is set to close in days.
New Look is pulling down the shutters on one of its sites this weekend following a string of closures.
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Its shop in Bromsgrove high street will be closing its doors on September 9.
The fashion chain has already closed two shops just this week and is set to shut another tomorrow.
A spokesperson for New Look said: “As part of the normal course of business, New Look occasionally closes stores, while also undertaking relocations and new site openings.
"While some sites have closed recently, we have opened a number of new stores this year and we remain on the lookout for appropriate new opportunities across the country."
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New Look confirmed the closure and thanked staff and the local community for their support.
Local shoppers shared the news on social media with several commenting their disappointment.
One said: "Oh no, so sad!"
Another wrote: "End of an era."
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And a third commented: "Nooooo not New Look."
While a fourth said: "All high streets are losing shops and becoming ghost towns …. very miserable!"
In recent weeks New Look has closed shops and announced further closures across the country.
Here is the full list of sites which have been earmarked for closure or have already shut recently:
- Bromsgrove - September 9
- Beverley - September 8
- Slough - September 5
- Windsor - September 5
- Cornmarket, Lancaster - September 2
- Crossgates shopping centre, Leeds - end of August
- Kings Chase Shopping Centre, Bristol - August 9
More shops have shut their doors over the past year as well with the total rising to 15 so far.
New Look has been opening stores too, back in November 2022 the chain cut the ribbon on several branches across the country.
The retailer also has plans to open more sites this year - but it hasn't yet said how many and where in the UK they'll be.
High street shopping has suffered over the last few years as chains struggled to gain back customers following the pandemic.
Habits shifted during the various lock downs with more and more shoppers turning to their favourites' websites instead.
Not only that but the cost of living crisis and soaring inflation has led to many retailers struggling to keep up with rising energy bills and other associated costs.
The same thing has affected households, which in turn has led to many cutting back on non-essential shopping.
Most recently discount chain Wilko announced it was closing the doors on 52 shops in the next week.
Familiar brands like M&Co and Paperchase also went under closing all of their UK shops earlier this year.
Shoezone is also set to pull the shutters down on one of its stores in its latest round of closures.
House of Fraser confirmed to The Sun that its branch in Guildford will shut on Saturday, September 30.
It's not just fashion retailers shutting either, food and drinks chains have all been affected.
Wetherspoons is also pulling the plug on some of its pubs over the next few weeks.
It comes after the chain – which has 827 pubs across the UK – warned last September that 32 pubs were being put up for sale.
The owner of Frankie and Benny's says it expects to save £5million a year by closing 40 of its loss-making restaurants.
Although, some chains have managed to defy high street troubles and are actually set to open new shops.
These include discount chains like Poundland which is set to open 15 shops in the coming weeks and Greggs which is aiming to open 150 new sites this year.
Meanwhile, here is the full list of New Look shops shutting their doors and those which have already closed.
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We've also rounded up all the high street chains closing sites in September.
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