Full checklist of excessive avenue shops closing in February – together with WHSmith and Sainsbury’s
The UK high street has seen an abundance of store closures this month, with WHSmith and Dobbies garden centres at the forefront of the closures
This month, British high streets have seen the closure of over half a dozen stores, with WHSmith and Dobbies garden centres leading the pack.
The year kicked off with a flurry of activity for other iconic high street brands, including Greggs, Shoe Zone, Deichmann, and New Look. The latter is gearing up to close another long-standing branch in Porth, Wales, in just a few days.
A challenging retail environment, compounded by Labour’s first fiscal Budget, has been fingered as the culprit for the wave of closures. The Centre for Retail Research has issued a stark warning that the “worse is yet to come,” predicting a 30% increase in store closures to 17,350 over the next year.
Retailers are bracing themselves for a hike in costs from April due to an increase in employer National Insurance contributions and a rise in the minimum wage. The rate of National Insurance that companies pay will jump from 13.8% to 15%, and the earnings threshold at which employers start paying National Insurance will drop from £9,100 annually to £5,000.
While most closures are happening among high street chains, supermarkets like Sainsbury’s are also feeling the pinch, reports the Express.
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WHSmith
The familiar blue and white signage of WHSmith is becoming a rare sight on UK high streets, although new branches are popping up in travel hubs such as train stations and airports.
This month, WHSmith has said goodbye to seven locations, including two in Bournemouth, one in Luton, one in Rhyl (Denbighshire), one in Bolton, and another in Bedfordshire.
Basingstoke shoppers were the first to witness their local store shut down on February 1, after a solid 56 years of business.
While no further closures are anticipated this month, an outlet in Accrington is set to permanently close its doors in March, followed by two more in Diss and Newport in April.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s has unveiled plans to shutter its remaining 61 in-store cafes along with all hot food, pizza, and patisserie counters in its supermarkets.
This move forms part of a wider strategy to save £1 billion over three years, resulting in over 3,000 job losses. The supermarket giant attributed the closures to a decrease in demand for its in-house cafes and hot food services.
The exact closure dates for the endangered stores remain undisclosed, although a Sainsbury’s spokesperson informed Express.co.uk that the “consultation process is ongoing”.
Sainsbury’s cafes that will close
- Fosse Park, Leicestershire
- Pontypridd, South Wales
- Rustington, West Sussex
- Scarborough, North Yorkshire
- Penzance, Cornwall
- Denton, Greater Manchester
- Wrexham, North Wales
- Longwater, Norwich, Norfolk
- Ely, Cambridgeshire
- Pontllanfraith, South Wales
- Emersons Green, South Gloucestershire
- Nantwich, Cheshire
- Pinhoe Road, Exeter, Devon
- Pepper Hill – Northfleet, Kent
- Marshall Lake, Solihull, West Midlands
- Rhyl, North Wales
- Lincoln, Lincolnshire
- Bridgemead, Swindon, Wiltshire
- Larkfield, Aylesford, Kent
- Whitchurch Bargates, Shropshire
- Sedlescombe Road, Hastings, East Sussex
- Barnstaple, Devon
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
- Kings Lynn Hardwick, Norfolk
- Truro, Cornwall
- Warren Heath, Ipswich, Suffolk
- Godalming, Surrey
- Hereford, Herefordshire
- Chichester, West Sussex
- Bognor Regis, West Sussex
- Newport, South Wales
- Talbot Heath, Dorset
- Rugby, Warwickshire
- Cannock, Staffordshire
- Leek, Staffordshire
- Winterstoke Road, Bristol
- Hazel Grove, Stockport, Greater Manchester
- Morecambe, Lancashire
- Darlington, County Durham
- Monks Cross, Huntington, North Yorkshire
- Marsh Mills, Plymouth, Devon
- Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex
- Durham, County Durham
- Bamber Bridge, Lancashire
- Weedon Road, Northampton, East Midlands
- Hempstead Valley, Kent
- Hedge End, Hampshire
- Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
- Thanet Westwood Cross, Kent
- Stanway, Colchester, Essex
- Castle Point, Essex
- Isle of Wight
- Keighley, West Yorkshire
- Swadlincote, Derbyshire
- Leicester North, East Midlands
- Wakefield Marsh Way, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
- Torquay, Devon
- Waterlooville, Hampshire
- Macclesfield, Cheshire
- Harrogate, North Yorkshire
- Cheadle, Greater Manchester
New Look
Fashion retailer New Look, a long-standing high street staple, is bracing itself for a third blow this month. Shoppers in Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in Wales will see their local New Look store close its doors this weekend, on February 22.
A spokesperson stated: “Our store in Porth is set to close on February 22. We thank our colleagues and the local community for their support over the years. We hope customers continue to shop with us online at newlook.com, where our full product ranges can be found.”
The fashion retailer has been escalating store closures as leases expire, sparking concerns for the job security of its 8,000 employees. Earlier this year, two of the brand’s sites in Wickford, Essex (shut down on January 24), and Bracknell Peel Centre, Bracknell (closed on January 30) were shuttered.
Homebase
DIY giant Homebase confirmed 35 closures for February after entering administration in November 2024. Retail group CDS, owner of The Range, agreed to acquire around 70 stores. However, some are set to close permanently.
A massive clearance sale has kicked off at Homebase on Easlea Road, Bury St Edmunds. The store is set to shut its doors for good on Friday, February 28.
This follows the recent closure of a branch in Selby, North Yorkshire, and coincides with another Homebase outlet in Maidenhead, which is also enticing shoppers with a closing down sale.
