Shoe chain with 300 branches will close more stores in a few days
A shoe chain with 300 branches is permanently pulling down the shutters of even more stores in just a few days.
Clarks has confirmed that sites in East Grinstead and Maidenhead are next in line, following a series of closures.
The iconic retailer with more than 300 British stores has already pulled the plug on a number of locations.
In January it closed its store in Witham and shuttered its site in Newport Retail Park in November.
Now the retailer has confirmed that its East Grinstead store will close on March 24, with its Maidenhead store to follow in June 2024.
Clarks told The Sun: “We have a strong duty of care to all our employees and have worked closely with the store team over a period of consultation.
“We thank them all for their dedication in serving our customers over the years.”
Residents in both areas have taken to social media to react to the news.
It’s ridiculous that the city is getting a joke now!
Social media user
An East Grinstead resident said: “It’s very sad to hear this. I’ve been buying fantastic footwear there for years that last a long time, another loss for the town.”
Another commented: “It’s ridiculous that the city is getting a joke now!”
While a third said: “Such a shame, more and more shops are empty.”
Maidenhead locals share the same frustration at the loss of the Clarks store.
One person said: “Ooooo no, how are we supposed to measure children’s feet?”
Another added: “So we won’t have a shoe store in town?”
A third said: “This is sad to hear. I remember a time when our high street had loads of shoe shops, we were spoiled for choice.”
Local high streets have become a shadow of their former selves in recent years, not a week seems to go by without another shop disappearing.
A combination of rising rents and shoppers turning to online stores since the coronavirus crisis have both contributed to the demise of our city center stores.
The rising cost of living has also made many people think twice before spending their money on anything other than the weekly necessities.
This has meant that major retailers have either disappeared altogether as they fall under government control, or are downsizing the number of high streets they operate.
What other stores have we lost recently?
We’ve seen several big losses in the last twelve months, including popular discounter Wilko and stationary brand Paperchase.
More recently, health and beauty chain The Body Shop has gone bankrupt and announced the closure of many of its 200 stores.
Nearly 500 employees will lose their jobs after 75 stores close in the coming weeks.
We have the full list of branches that are about to close. Is your local affected?
Other retailers such as Iceland, Boots and Matalan have reduced the number of stores on the high street.
This month, Boots announced it will close a total of nine locations, as part of its wider plans to lose 300 locations.
These closures will reduce the retailer’s total number of stores from 2,200 to 1,900.
This has upset many locals in the affected towns, but the health and beauty chain has said that where stores close there is an alternative store less than three miles away.
Last year, Argos began implementing plans to reduce the number of standalone stores and focus on opening more locations in Sainsbury’s supermarkets.
Last June it closed 42 UK stores, including all 34 in the Republic of Ireland.
Marks and Spencer is another retailer that has made changes to its store portfolio.
In 2022, M&S announced it would close 67 “lower productivity” stores as part of the 110 stores it had already earmarked for closure.
It wasn’t all bad news for M&S shoppers, though, with some stores closing, others opening in new locations.
Nine new openings took place in November last year, including six new stores plus three store renovations.
Is it all bad news?
The answer to that is no. Some retailers are expanding despite difficult market conditions.
Primark recently confirmed plans to open new branches and invest and renovate more than a dozen existing stores.
Meanwhile, Asda is massively expanding its portfolio of smaller Express stores, with plans to open 110 new stores.
Popular discounter B&M also said it plans to open 17 new locations by 2024, some of which will open soon.
Also earlier this year, WHSmith confirmed it would open 15 new stores, but these would not be located on the high street.
We have the full list of chains opening stores in 2024. See if one is coming to a shopping street near you.
Why are retailers closing their stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the pressure since the pandemic, as shoppers cut back on spending due to the rising cost of living.
High energy costs and the move to online shopping after the pandemic are also taking their toll, with many high street stores struggling to continue.
The high street has seen a slew of closures in the past year, with more to come.
The number of jobs lost in UK retail fell last year, but 120,000 people still lost their jobs, figures show.
Figures from the Center for Retail Research show that 10,494 stores will have closed for the last time in 2023 and 119,405 jobs will have been lost in the sector.
It was fewer stores than had been lost in recent years, and a decrease from the 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre’s director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is “less bad” than good.
While some big names on the high street were lost, including Wilko, many major companies had already gone bankrupt before 2022, the center said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
“The cost of living crisis, inflation and rise in interest rates have prompted many consumers to tighten their belts, causing retail spending to fall,” said Prof Bamfield.
“Retailers themselves have faced rising energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and declining demand, making rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult.”
Besides Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it went bust, the biggest failures of 2023 include UK Flooring Direct, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Center for Retail Research said most stores were closed as companies tried to reorganize and cut costs rather than face bankruptcy.
However, experts have warned that more bankruptcies are likely this year as consumers tighten their belts and borrowing costs for businesses soar.
According to official figures, about 14% of bankruptcies last year occurred in retail businesses.