High avenue style chain to shut 33 shops ‘inside weeks’ – full record of UK closures
The drastic shake-up will see 33 out of over 200 stores closing their doors in the first month of 2026
High Street fashion giant River Island is set to shut down 33 stores across the UK within the next six weeks – including six in Scotland. The beleaguered retailer has announced it will pay reduced rent on 71 stores as part of a restructuring plan designed to stave off administration.
The drastic shake-up will see 33 out of over 200 stores closing their doors in the first month of the new year, alongside rent reductions for 71 stores and a significant amount of debt being written off. However, for River Island devotees, there will still be 122 stores, which will remain untouched by the restructuring.
The company has asked landlords to slash its rent for three years and potentially halt payments on some units to try and stem its losses. The plan was given the green light in August of this year by a High Court Judge.
Earlier in the year, Ben Lewis, CEO of River Island, stated: “We have a clear transformation strategy to ensure the long-term viability of the business, and this decision gives us a strong platform to deliver this.”
He added: “Recent improvements in our fashion offer and shopping experience are starting to show results, and the restructuring plan will enable us to align our store estate to our customers’ needs. We are grateful to our suppliers, landlords and other stakeholders for their constructive engagement and shared confidence in River Island’s future.”, reports Glasgow Live.
Earlier this year, the company’s restructuring plan was given the green light by a High Court judge. Matthew Weaver KC, representing River Island, informed the hearing that the firm “simply has not been able to reverse” a trend of financial difficulty.
In written submissions, he pointed to a drop in footfall and sales due to “the pressures of a highly competitive and changing retail environment as well as the prevailing trend away from high street retail stores to online shopping”.
He further stated: “A number of geopolitical events have also resulted in continuing supply chain disruption which, together with energy, labour and other price increases, has resulted in a cost base that’s too high and unsustainable at its current level.”
River Island boasts 223 stores across the UK and Ireland, although none of the Irish outlets are facing closures, Mr Weaver confirmed.
River Island employs around 5,500 people and was established in 1948 under the Lewis and Chelsea Girl brand before undergoing a rebrand in the 1980s.
The full list of store closures includes:
- Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
- Bangor Bloomfield, Northern Ireland
- Barnstaple, Devon
- Beckton, Greater London
- Brighton, East Sussex
- Burton-Upon-Trent, Derbyshire
- Cumbernauld, Scotland
- Didcot, Oxfordshire
- Edinburgh Princes Street, Scotland
- Falkirk, Scotland
- Gloucester, Gloucestershire
- Great Yarmouth
- Grimsby, Lincolnshire
- Hanley, Staffordshire
- Hartlepool, County Durham
- Hereford, Herefordshire
- Kilmarnock, Scotland
- Kirkcaldy, Scotland
- Leeds Birstall Park, West Yorkshire
- Lisburn, Northern Ireland
- Northwich, Cheshire
- Norwich, Norfolk
- Oxford, Oxfordshire
- Perth, Scotland
- Poole, Dorset
- Rochdale, Greater Manchester
- St Helens, Merseyside
- Surrey Quays, Greater London
- Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
- Taunton, Somerset
- Workington, Cumbria
- Wrexham, Wales
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