‘Another bites the dust’, sob shoppers as high street retailer with 240 branches to close store permanently

SHOPPERS have moaned “another bites the dust” as a high street retailer with 240 branches is set to close a store for good.

The branch of Game in Newton Abbot, Devon, will close its doors permanently in under two weeks.

Alamy

Signs have already gone up in the window saying “all stock must go” and that the shop is closing for good.

It’s believed the store in Market Walk will shut for the last time on March 17.

The news was posted to a Facebook page dedicated to the town and fans were not happy about the move.

One commentator wrote: “Another bites the dust in market walk.”

Another added: “My old store. Bit of a shame, but could see it coming a mile off.”

A third person said: “This is such a shame for our town.”

The move comes after the games retailer, which is owned by the Frasers Group, closed its city centre branch in Exeter at the end of January, later relocating it elsewhere in the city.

The original location for the Game outlet in Exeter, in the Guildhall Shopping Centre, will be taken over by health food retailer Grape Tree which is due to open later this month.

A branch of Game has now opened up at Rydon Lane Retail Park in the city.

Game is also closing down its branch in Grimsby this month.

Game also closed two other branches in January, along with its central Exeter store.

One in Witney closed on January 7 while one in Huntingdon closed a week later.

Previously, three Game branches had already closed in Plymouth, Cambridge and Newport, Wales.

However, the Newport branch reopened in a nearby Sports Direct unit just two days later.

But it’s not all bad news for the group, as it has also started opening new “concept stores” as it looks to shake up its portfolio.

The first one of this kind, featuring popular brands like Sports Direct and Game, opened in Norwich in September.

Two others later opened in Blackpool and Sheffield .

The Frasers Group also recently snapped up luxury clothing retailer Matches Fashion in a deal worth £52million.

High Street struggles

It comes as the cost of living crisis, high inflation and rising energy costs are forcing retailers to close down their outlets.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found the UK had lost 6,000 stores over five years.

Numerous  in the last 12 months, including major discounter Wilko.

But it has since returned to the high street under The Range‘s ownership, and Wilko-branded items are being stocked in The Range stores.

Both  and  are among the well-known brands which went bust in 2022.

 at the end of January last year and all 106 stores later closed for good.

Stores including Next, Boots, The Entertainer, Iceland, Clarks and WHSmith have also suffered.

And Argos, Next, Jack Wills and Poundland have announced they will all shut selected branches forever this year.

In the latest blow, famous cosmetic group The Body Shop has admitted it is on the brink of closing some 200 stores across the UK as the retailer entered administration.

We have created a list of all the Body Shop stores that are at risk of shutting down.

British retailers saw the amount of goods they sold drop last month at its fastest rate in three years as under-pressure families shifted part of their Christmas shop to earlier in the year.

Sales volumes dipped by 3.2% in December, data from the Office for National Statistics suggests, down from a rise of 1.4% a month before.

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

The trade association’s chief executive Helen Dickinson OBE blamed the closures on “crippling” business rates and the impact of coronavirus lockdowns.

The good news

Thankfully some shops are bucking the trend and opening new locations.

Primark said it will open five new branches, and 

B&M is opening six new locations at the start of 2024, 

Beauty retailer Sephora is opening its third location in Manchester this year.

Another skincare and make up icon, Avon,  in its over 100-year history.

Costco is looking to open 14 new locations in the UK over the next two years, while Greggs will add up to 160 branches this year.

See the  in our round up.

Alamy