A BELOVED homeware chain has shut its website as it issues an urgent warning to customers ahead of closing its stores in weeks.
In a setback for the retail sector, Home Store and More is preparing to bid farewell to shoppers as it winds down its operations in Scotland.
The popular chain is set to close its two Scottish stores, located in East Kilbride and Craigleith, by the end of May.
In the lead-up to the closures, customers can take advantage of discounts of up to 70% on all remaining stock.
In a recent Facebook post, the retailer urged anyone with a gift card to redeem it promptly, as gift cards will no longer be valid once the two stores have closed.
Meanwhile, Home Store and More's terms and conditions on its website say customers who have bought products online can return them for free as an exchange or get a full refund via courier.
However, you need to have provided a notice of cancellation within 14 days of the date you received the goods and have a further 14 days from this date to return them.
You can also return products to either of the two Home Store and More stores in Scotland.
If you purchased a product from the retailer more than a month ago, it is down to the discretion of the customer service team as to whether you can exchange it or get a refund.
Some products are exempt from the refund and exchange policy. You can find out more via homestoreandmore.ie.
Shoppers just finding out Home Store and More will disappear from the high street and online have been left devastated.
Posting on Facebook, one said: "So sad this lovely shop is closing. Hope the employees can find employment.
"(Found) good deals on batteries yesterday."
Another commented: "Gutted for East Kibride and other store. Hoping they come back one day."
Meanwhile, a third added: "Will miss you very much and genuinely sorry to see you go.
"Your staff have been outstanding and I wish them all the very best in the future."
A fourth chipped in: "Going to miss what was the best shopping experience in East Kilbride.
"Hope all the staff get new jobs."
The reason the two Home Store and More stores are closing has not been revealed by the retailer.
However, the chain is bucking the general trend in shutting the two stores which are based in retail parks.
A recent report from PwC highlighted the ongoing shift retailers are making away from the high street and towards locations outside towns and cities.
It said these areas are experiencing fewer closures and more openings, with retail parks becoming an increasingly popular choice for shoppers.
This shift is driven by the convenience they offer to shoppers who don't have to face parking charges in town and city centres.
Analysis from the Centre for Retail Research found more than 13,000 high street stores shut for good in 2024.
The centre found 11,341 of these were independent stores while 2,138 shops were shut by larger shops.
It predicted around 17,350 shops will close in 2025 too, as retailers face the double whammy of higher employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) and national minimum wage.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Previous research by the British Chambers of Commerce showed that more than half of companies planned to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025."
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
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