Retail brand with 240 stores is closing its branch for the last time TODAY

SHOPPERS were saddened to see a much-loved retail brand have to close for good today.

It was a blow for entertainment fans to see their GAME branch in Grimsby pull down its shutters for the final time.

The retailer shocked loyal customers with their announcement in February, which was closely followed by a huge ‘everything must go’ sale.

Disappointed shoppers rushed to take advantage of the 20 per cent discounts before waving goodbye to the popular branch this morning.

A spokesperson for Frasers Group, which owns GAME, said: “It is with regret that we announce that GAME Rhyl will close in the spring.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our employees for their hard work and dedication.

“Where possible, we are committed to finding new roles within the Group for staff.”

It comes after the GAME store closed shop in 2018 but was bailed out months later, as reported by Grimsby Live.

Unfortunately, several branches have bitten the dust in recent months, including those in Exeter, Witney and Huntingdon.

Meanwhile, two closed last year in Plymouth and Cambridge.

The Frasers Group also owns Sports Direct, a brand that has similarly seen a series of closures.

A branch in Stroud, Gloucestershire, will pull down the shutters for good at the end of March.

The sports retailer, which has more than 500 stores in Britain, also closed a store in the Orbital Shopping Park in Swindon at the beginning of this year.

The company previously closed a store in Coventry’s Central Six Retail Park in October last year, and one in Blackpool the following month.

Meanwhile, Sports Direct-owned Sports Direct Fitness closed its Salisbury location for good on December 11, much to the shock of members.

It comes as thousands of high street stores have said goodbye amid an epidemic of closures across the UK.

Even industry giants have fallen victim in recent months.

British retailers saw the amount of goods sold fall last month, at the fastest pace in three years.

According to data from the Office for National Statistics, sales volumes fell 3.2% in December, compared to a rise of 1.4% a month earlier.

Body Shop bosses recently called in administrators with a “significant number” of jobs and stores at risk as the brand looks set to enter an insolvency process.

Meanwhile, popular beauty retailer Boots has also sadly announced it will close 300 stores this year, following several closures in 2023.

And discount store Lidl has also seen a large number of locations close.

The full list, of 1,168 locations, includes locations in all parts of Great Britain, including: 66 in Scotland, 83 in Yorkshire, 83 in central England, 91 in south London and 42 in south-mid Wales.

Bargain hunters were also devastated to hear that discount retailer B&M was closing another store.

Meanwhile, Argos, Next, Jack Wills and Poundland have all announced they will permanently close selected branches this year.

It follows rising costs of living, rising energy bills and even some businesses continuing to feel the knock-on effect of the pandemic.

Shoppers have been forced to cut back, while the costs of running stores have also risen.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) this summer showed that Britain had lost 6,000 stores in a five-year period.