END OF PLAY
Britain’s biggest toy chain with over 160 locations announces closure of popular store in blow to shoppers
Bosses also blamed the Budget for increasing cost pressures
THE UK's largest toy chain has announced that a popular store will close in a blow to Christmas shoppers.
Toy giant The Entertainer has confirmed it will permanently close its outlet at the Cameron Toll shopping centre in Edinburgh.
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It will mark the end of a decade-long run for the shop, which opened in 2014.
The date of the closure has also not been announced, but a sign in the window provides a telephone number for customers to contact with any questions.
Parents will, no doubt, be hoping that the outlet remains active at least until Christmas so their kids can enjoy one last treat from the brand.
The nearest alternatives are Toys Galore on Morningside Road, around 2.5 miles away, or Smyth's Toys Superstore, almost five miles in the other direction.
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Shoppers have been left gutted after hearing the news this weekend, with many taking to to share their frustrations.
One person said: "That's awful".
Another added: "What a shambles".
Someone else posted: "So sad to see".
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The Entertainer is popular for selling a wide range of different indoor and outdoor and games.
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These include everything from scooters, masks, balloons, , craft products, electronic games and costumes.
The reason for the closure has also not been revealed, but boss Andrew Murphy previously said that the last Budget has affected the firm's finances.
We were just about to initiate the work and unfortunately the changes to National Insurance in particular just tipped that balance so those stores will now not be opening
Andrew Murphy
He explained that the 's decision to increase employers' National Contributions has forced them to abandon plans to open two new stores.
Andrew told : "We were just about to initiate the and unfortunately, the changes to National Insurance in particular just tipped that balance, so those stores will now not be opening."
The Shopping Centre where The Entertainer is located has also faced numerous issues over the last few weeks.
Roadworks at the nearby Cameron Toll roundabout have caused chaos for locals, with being urged to avoid the area.
A section of the junction was sealed off after the discovery of a "large void" underneath which could have caused the carriageway to collapse.
It is the third time this year that the roundabout has been closed.
A spokesperson for The Entertainer subsequently confirmed the closure date, adding: "We are sad to be closing our Cameron Toll store as of 4 January 2025 and would like to thank our customers and staff for their loyalty and support.
"We’re proud of the service we’ve offered and are committed to supporting our employees through this situation.
"We look forward to announcing details of a brand-new store in Edinburgh in the next few months, and customers can continue to shop our range of great value toys and games online at www.thetoyshop.com, as well as in selected Tesco stores."
It follows the announcement that a major discount store with 960 shops nationwide would be closing branches for three days over Christmas.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun's business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
Boss Stuart Machin recently said that when it relocated a tired store in Chesterfield to a new big store in a retail park half a mile away, its sales in the area rose by 103 per cent.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
What else is happening on the high street?
Shoppers have faced a swathe of closures on their local high streets in recent years as many of their favourite chains shutter sites.
The cost-of-living crisis has meant households have less money in their pockets and so are cutting back on their spending.
As a result, high street shops have seen lower footfall and less money landing in the tills.
That, along with ongoing restructuring plans and high rents, have forced many chains to close locations.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed almost 10,500 UK shops closed for the final time in 2023.
The 12-month period also saw over 119,000 jobs lost across the sector.
According to the centre's data, 1,846 stores closed and 23,982 retail jobs were lost during the first six months of 2024.
Of course, it's not all bad news. In some cases branches will be replaced with bigger and better shops.
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Retailers regularly open and close shops for a number of reasons - not just because they are struggling.
For example, they may have a store nearby that is performing better or it may be because they want to pick a spot that has higher footfall, such as in a retail park.
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