MELTDOWN
‘There will be no stores left at this rate’ cry shoppers as major high street chain with 900 sites to shut another shop
The chain has shuttered 20 stores over the past year, with more set to close in weeks
A MAJOR high street chain with 900 branches is to shut another store following several closures.
Discount supermarket Iceland is pulling down the shutters on its site in Rugby Central Shopping Centre in a matter of days.
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The frozen-food specialist confirmed to The Sun that it will be shuttering the store on February 24.
Locals have been reacting to the news on social media, with many devastated by the closure.
One posted on Facebook: "Horrendous, Iceland is closing in the Rugby Cente in February, first Wilko now this, there will be no stores left at this rate!"
Another commented: "It's a shame, just gonna be a ghost town."
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A third said: ";My favourite food shop in town, for frozen, fresh or groceries.
"Knocks spots off Asda, which most of the town shoppers, head, sheep-like, to the detriment of other worthy retailers."
A fourth wrote: "Things are NOT getting better, are they?"
While a fifth posted: "There will be no reason to go into the town centre once it's gone."
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And a sixth commented: "All these shops closing down up in the town just to slap some flats and houses over it all.
"Rugby really is dead."
The impending closure of he Rugby store follows Iceland's decision to close the branch in the Rosemary Centre in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire on January 13.
It brings the total number of Iceland stores that have closed in the last year to 20.
The full list of stores that shut down in 2023 are as follows:
- Mill Lane, Bromsgrove - February
- Chineham Shopping Centre, Basingstoke - February
- White Rose Centre, Rhyl - March
- South Street, Newport, Isle of Wight - March
- St Catherine's Place, Bedminster, Bristol - March
- Deiniol Centre, Bangor - March
- Newport - April
- Berwick - April
- Hexham - April
- Flint, Wales - May
- Beccles, Suffolk - June
- St David's Place, Swansea - July
- Fife - August 12
- Fratton - August 26
- Llanelli - September 2
- Crewe - September 16
- Grange Road, Birkenhead - September 16
- Trinity Road, Huddersfield - October 28
- Fulford Road branch in York - October 28
A further store has shut for good this year - the Rosemary Centre in Mansfield on January 13.
Plus, Iceland is set to close its branch in Portswood Road, Southampton, on Saturday, March 2.
This would bring the total number of closures to 22.
It's not clear whether more branches will follow suit later in the year.
Typically, though, Iceland opens more than 20 new stores each year, with 24 new stores opened in the past year.
This means the number of stores Iceland has across the country remains at around 900.
What else is happening on the high street?
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 after the pandemic are also taking a toll and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year and more are on their way.
Several major brands have also collapsed, such as Wilko and Paperchase.
Many retailers have been struggling to get by, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Energy costs have risen and more shoppers than ever are choosing to order online rather than head into stores.
This has left some retailers grappling with budgets and have no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
Several big-name chains are pulling down the shutters for the final time this month.
Iconic brand The Body Shop collapsed this week, putting 200 stores at risk.
Matalan will be pulling the shutters down for the final time on one of its shops next week.
High street designer brand Kurt Geiger has pulled down the shutters on its shop in Brighton for the last time.
An iconic department store has also shut its flagship London store forever.
It was announced last year that Fenwick would be closing its central London store in Bond Street for good, and on February 3, it pulled down the shutters for the last time.
A Tesco Express in the Whitefriars Shopping Centre will be temporarily closed until March 4.
Lidl will be pulling the shutters down on its site in Thornaby later this month.
The bargain retailer has confirmed the sites in Stockton-on-Tees will shut on February 29.
Boots revealed it would be closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.
High street fashion chain Peacocks pulled down the shutters of its branch in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, last month.
Entertainment retailer HMV also shuttered its branch in Boston, Lincolnshire, on January 27.
And, the hospitality sector has also been hit, seeing pubs like Wetherspoons and restaurants like Frankie & Benny's and Chiquito shut their doors.
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Meanwhile, shoppers have been rushing to stock up on their favourites after a high street chain fell into administration.
Plus, a total of 29 bank branches are set to close their doors in the coming days.
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