‘A very sad day’ cry shoppers as cult home store with 70 branches to close another ‘fabulous’ shop

A CULT home store with 70 branches is to close another "fabulous" store and shoppers have been left disappointed.

Lakeland is pulling down the shutters on its site in Eldon Square shopping centre, Newcastle, in a matter of days.

The homeware retailer confirmed that it will be shuttering its store on Friday, March 1.

Locals have been reacting to the news on social media, with many devastated by the closure.

One Facebook user said: "Oh no! Sorry to hear this."

Another cried: "Aaaaah nooooo love that shop."

A third wrote: "It’s a very sad day indeed.";

While a fourth added: "If people want to keep physical stores, they need to stop shopping online."

Lakeland confirmed the closure of the store in a statement on its website.

It read: "We're sorry to say that our Newcastle store will be closing on March 1.

"But we do hope that you'll continue to shop with us either online, by phone or in one of our other stores nationwide."

The announcement goes on to reassure customers that anything bought from the store will still be covered by its three-year guarantee.

It comes after Lakeland closed its branch in Castlepoint Shopping Centre, Bournemouth on January 25.

Lakeland has around 70 stores across the UK, including in Nottingham, Bath and Chester.

The retailer has 50 years of experience and sells everyday cooking, cleaning and laundry essentials.

More high street closures

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.

A number of high street retailers have disappeared from high streets across Newcastle in recent months.

In Eldon Square shopping centre alone, a number of retailers have shut their doors for good.

The Samsung Experience closed for good on December 24.

Kurt Geiger closed its store in the shopping centre in June 2023.

Plus, The Body Shop in the centre is currently at risk of closure after the iconic retailer collapsed into administration.

The Sun has put together a full list of The Body Shop stores in the UK that are at risk of being lost forever.

Several major brands have also collapsed, such as Wilko and Paperchase.

But there is a glimmer of hope as official figures revealed that shops have bounced back from a record poor performance in December.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that retail sales volumes, which also include online retailers, rose 3.4% during January, up from a fall of 3.3% in December.

It was the fastest rise since April 2021, the month when non-essential retailers were allowed to reopen following the third national lockdown for the Covid-19 pandemic.

Several big-name chains are pulling down the shutters for the final time this month.

While Boots  has revealed it is closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.

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