‘The town is disappearing’ sob shoppers as legendary department store with 28 branches to shut another store
We can also reveal another location set for closure in May
A DEPARTMENT store with 30 branches is set to close another one of its locations for good.
House of Fraser in Doncaster will be shutting down in the coming weeks.
Although an exact date has yet to be revealed it has been confirmed that it will be closing down in the spring.
House of Fraser is owned by the Frasers Group and sells big brands such as Calvin Klein, Superdry, Paul Smith and Ted Baker.
Shoppers have been reacting to news of the closure on social media.
One person said: “Doncaster will end up a ghost town.”
Another commented: “It’s a shame how the town is disappearing.”
While a third added: “Wow this is so sad, it was one of the best shops in its prime.
A spokesperson for the Frasers Group said: “It is with regret that we announce House of Fraser Doncaster will be closing in spring.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their hard work and dedication.”
This is so sad, it was one of the best in its prime
Social media user
They added that where possible they are committed to finding new roles within the group for the staff who will be affected.
The Doncaster store is not the only location in the chain that is disappearing from the high street in spring.
Tomorrow a House of Fraser department store in Cheltenham will close along with Cavendish House – the historic 201-year-old building it’s based in.
Cavendish House has been welcoming shoppers since 1823 and locals have described the loss as “a great shame” to the town.
One shopper said: “The word “iconic” is often over-used but it certainly applies to the Cavendish House.”
Another added that they were “sad but not surprised” to hear the news.
Staff at the Cheltenham House of Fraser store were told about the closure in January this year.
The Doncaster and Cheltenham stores are just the latest in a string of closures for the department store.
Last year stores in Solihull, Guildford and Cardiff all shut down for good.
Meanwhile, it recently announced that its shop in Carlisle city centre would also be closing at the end of May.
It comes after signs advertising a huge 20% off closing down sale across the entire shop were spotted in store windows.
House of Fraser was saved from collapse by billionaire businessman Mike Ashley back in 2018.
But while the deal saved the chain’s 59 stores and 17,000 workers who were facing the axe many more stores have closed in recent years and only 28 department stores remain.
What chains does the Frasers Group own?
MIKE Ashley's Frasers Group owns dozens of high street and online brands, here is the full list.
- House of Fraser
- Sports Direct
- Flannels
- Evans Cycles
- Everlast Gyms
- Everlast
- Game
- Frasers
- I saw it first
- Gieves and Hawkes
- Jack Wills
- Slazenger
- Studio
- Sofa.com
- USA Pro
- USC
Last autumn, Frasers Group chief executive, Michael Murray, described House of Fraser as a “broken business” and said it is likely to “diminish”.
Mr Murray added that the group’s strategy was to break away from the traditional operating model of operating department stores.
He told : “We’ve completely changed the operating model.
“It was mostly concession, the stores were way too big, and they were under-invested.
“Our future vision is that House of Fraser will diminish and Frasers will grow.”
What else is happening on the high street?
Retailers are struggling to survive the difficult trading conditions on the high street right now.
Rising rents and the cost of living has seen many iconic stores disappear from our high streets forever since the pandemic.
Several major brands have collapsed in 2023, including Wilko and Paperchase.
More recently, in February this year, the iconic health and beauty chain Body Shop fell into administration, putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk.
Seven stores closed immediately and since then 75 more closures have been announced.
We have the full list of sites that have been earmarked for closure.
Elsewhere retailers such as Boots and Marks and Spencer are taking drastic action and shaking up their portfolio of stores in a bid to survive.
M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, shut down locations in Manchester, Swindon and Birmingham between August and November last year.
However, it also opened up several new locations in November, including Lakeside and the Trafford Centre.
It is all part of the retailer’s five-year plan to ensure it has the stores in the best locations possible.
Boots has also been closing down branches, it started in 2020 when it shut down 48 opticians with the loss of 4,000 jobs.
Since then it has been closing locations up and down the country, leaving a wake of disgruntled locals behind it.
However, the retailer has said that it is only closing premises where there is an alternative within three miles.
This month, 14 stores will be exiting the high street, as 14 retailers including M&S and Costa will pull the shutters down on locations for the final time.
Why are retailers closing stores?
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 coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre’s director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is “less bad” than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
“The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend,” Prof Bamfield said.
“Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult.”
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023’s biggest failures included Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Planet Organic, Snug and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.