SALE AWAY
All the closing down sales on the high street right now as nine retailers shut shops
Sites looking to clear stock often offer shoppers BIG discounts
A NUMBER of retailers have launched huge closing down sales as they shutter sites for good.
When retailers decide to close stores the discounts offered on remaining stock can be huge and often include all departments.
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Those currently offering big discounts in selected stores earmarked for closure include Dobbies garden centres, Homebase and Ann Summers.
Here are the stores where you can find enormous bargains right now:
Dobbies
Garden centre chain Dobbies has launched closing down sales in a number of stores as it prepares to close five more sites before Christmas.
Sales have been launched in sites in Gosforth, Inverness, Reading, Stratford-upon-Avon and Huntingdon.
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Bargain hunters have shared pictures of the huge discounts on offer including 70% off homeware as well as deals on plants, garden equipment, toys, gifts and Christmas decorations.
Dobbies was given the green light to go ahead with the closure of 12 sites last week when creditors voted in favour of its plan.
In a statement, the firm said the move will enable Dobbies to return to "sustainable profitability and unlock access to "future investment".
Sales have also been launched in two additional garden centres in Morpeth and Stapleton, which will be moved to other garden centre operators in 2025.
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Homebase is set to close ten of its stores, which will soon be taken over by a major supermarket chain
Homebase
DIY chain Homebase has launched closing down sales across a number of sites as it looks to widespread closures.
Sales have been launched in Loudwater and Worcester, which will be shuttered for good.
Signage announcing closing-down sales and steep discounts also appeared at Homebase shops in Morecambe, Lancaster, and Winchester earlier this week.
Homebase crashed into administration last month, but it was partially rescued by billionaire Chris Dawson, the owner of The Range and Wilko.
Dawson's intervention looked to retain "up to" 70 stores and save 1,600 jobs as well as the Homebase brand, leaving 74 branches and roughly 2,000 employees at risk.
Just a week later, Teneo, Homebase's administrators placed the 74 stores up for sale.
Although the company established a deadline of November 29 for potential buyers to acquire these branches, it remains uncertain if any have been saved.
The exact number of stores rescued by Dawson has not been clarified so there is a chance further sales could be launched at a Homebase near you, with around 49 at risk.
Ann Summers
The raunchy retailer will close its store in Doncaster on Christmas Eve.
Ann Summers - famed for its lingerie and bedroom toys - is exiting the area after several decades on the Yorkshire high street.
However, the shop is going out with a bang, with a "warehouse clearance event" and a 70% off sale.
The next nearest shop is in Sheffield which is a half an hour drive away from Doncaster's Baxter Gate store.
Ann Summers has around 80 stores across the UK and Ireland and an online shop.
Robert Gatward Jewellers
Robert Gatward Jewellers in Thame, Oxfordshire will close its doors for the final time on Christmas Eve.
The Thame high street shop has been holding a massive store-wide sale, with owners Keith and Bridie Gill saying they have to move £4million in stock.
The sale will see jewellery discounted by 50 per cent including diamond rings, precious stone pieces, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings.
Current owners Keith and Bridie bought the business in 1999 from namesake Robert Gatward who opened the store in 1969.
They have said the store is closing because the lease is coming to an end.
Millets
A Millets store in Market Street, York, launched a closing-down sale in October, ahead of its conversion into a Go Outdoors Express store in the New Year.
The two brands sit under the same parent company, JD Outdoors.
A 30% off closing down sale has also been launched at a site in Church Walk, Burgess Hill after Millets decided not to renew its lease on the site.
The two closures follow a handful of closures of Millets stores across the country in recent weeks, including Sussex, Halifax and Cheltenham.
The Closet at Harker
Boutique pre-loved clothing store, The Closet at Harker, will be offering further discounts ahead of its closure at the end of the year.
The Carlisle boutique has struggled despite its attempt to fill in a gap in the market, selling a unique blend of preloved, new, and "nearly new" high-brand ladies' clothing.
Owners Debbie Armstrong and Kath Paterson confirmed the closure in a heartfelt statement on social media.
The post read: "We have made the tough decision to close our lovely little shop.
"We have given it a go for five months, which may not seem long, but when we're not making enough money to pay rent, never mind pay ourselves some money."
With the shop remaining open until Christmas, significant discounts will be available on many items.
Customers are encouraged to follow updates on Facebook or call the store ahead to confirm opening times.
New Look
Fashion retailer New Look is discounted goods at its shop in Swindon Town Centre, ahead of its closure.
The retailer, which has 400 UK branches, will pull down the shutters on the site for the final time on Monday, December 23.
It comes after the New Look's store in Gillingham High Street, Medway, Kent closed after operating for 30 years, in September.
Peter Jones homeware
The Peter Jones homeware store has launched a big sale ahead of its closure next week.
The store has been open in Wakefield for more than 60 years and locals have been devastated by its closure.
The shop will close for good on Christmas Eve.
Baytree Interiors
A closing-down sale has been launched at Baytree Interiors in Harrogate.
The store, which sells gifts, home interiors and furniture will close its doors in February.
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Pictures show signs reading 'everything must go'.
Baytree Interiors operates seven stores across the north of England.
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 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.
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