SHOPPERS have said “another one is biting the dust” as a 240-branch retail chain plans to close a store for good.

Game’s branch in Newton Abbot, Devon, will close its doors permanently in less than two weeks.

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There are already signs in the window that say “all stock must go” and that the store is closing for good.

It is believed the Market Walk store will close for the final time on March 17.

The news was posted on a Facebook page dedicated to the city and fans were not happy with the move.

One commenter wrote: “Another bites the dust on market walks.

Another said: “My old shop. A bit of a shame, but I saw it coming from a mile away.”

A third person said: “This is such a shame for our city.”

The move comes after the Frasers Group-owned games retailer closed its city center branch in Exeter at the end of January and later moved it elsewhere in the city.

The original location for the Game outlet in Exeter, in the Guildhall Shopping Centre, will be taken over by health food retailer Grape Tree, which will open later this month.

A branch of Game has now opened in the city’s Rydon Lane Retail Park.

Game is also closing its Grimsby branch this month.

Game also closed two other branches in January, along with its main store in Exeter.

One in Witney closed on January 7, while one in Huntingdon closed a week later.

Three Game branches had previously closed in Plymouth, Cambridge and Newport, Wales.

However, the Newport branch reopened just two days later in a nearby Sports Direct unit.

But it’s not all bad news for the group, as the company has also started opening new ‘concept stores’ as it looks to shake up its portfolio.

The first of its kind, featuring popular brands such as Sports Direct and Game, opened in Norwich in September.

Two others opened later in Blackpool and Sheffield.

The Frasers Group also recently acquired luxury clothing retailer Matches Fashion in a deal worth £52 million.

The battle in the Hoogstraat

It comes at a time when the cost of living crisis, high inflation and rising energy costs are forcing retailers to close their outlets.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show that Britain has lost 6,000 stores in five years.

Numerous The big brands have ended up in administration in the past twelve months, including major discounter Wilko.

But it has since returned to the high street under The Range’s ownership, and Wilko brand items are stocked in The Range stores.

Both M&Co And Joule are among the well-known brands that went bankrupt in 2022.

Paperchase subsequently collapsed into administration at the end of January last year and all 106 stores later closed for good.

Stores including Next, Boots, The Entertainer, Iceland, Clarks and WHSmith have also suffered.

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

In the latest blow, famed cosmetics group The Body Shop has admitted it is set to close up to 200 stores in the UK as the retailer enters administration.

We’ve made a list of all the Body Shop stores at risk of closing.

British retailers saw the amount of goods sold fall last month, at the fastest pace in three years, as under-pressure households moved some of their Christmas shopping to earlier this year.

Sales volumes fell 3.2% in December, Office for National Statistics data showed, compared with a 1.4% increase a month earlier.

Several major chains are pulling down the shutters for the last time this month.

The trade association’s chief executive, Helen Dickinson OBE, blamed the closures on “crippling” business rates and the impact of coronavirus lockdowns.

The good news

Fortunately, some stores are bucking the trend and opening new locations.

Primark said it will open five new stores, and there will be one in a few weeks.

B&M will open six new locations in early 2024, also in former Wilko stores that it has taken over.

Beauty retailer Sephora is opening its third location in Manchester this year.

Another skincare and makeup icon, Avon, plans to open stores in Britain for the first time in its more than 100-year history.

Costco plans to open 14 new locations in Britain over the next two years, while Greggs will add 160 locations this year.

See the full list of shops opening on the high street in our roundup.

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LUKE LITTLER opened another supporter’s Fifa package ahead of last night’s Premier League darts action.

The star became a national phenomenon with his fairytale run at the PDC World Darts Championship in December.

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That came to an end on January 3 when Luke Humphries defeated the then 16-year-old at Ally Pally 7-4 to become world champion.

‘Luke the Nuke’ took £200,000 despite losing it before winning the Bahrain Masters, and pocketed a further £20,000 for beating Michael van Gerwen in the final.

Littler returned to his hometown of Warrington for a subdued celebration of his 17th birthday and then defeated Humphries in the semi-final of the Dutch Masters, but suffered defeat to MVG in the final.

He only turned professional last month and capped off a whirlwind few weeks with a first call-up and then a bow for the Premier League.

Littler has already completed the Premier League scalp set, but he is still looking for his first night win.

A 6-3 semi-final defeat to Rob Cross yesterday denied the teenage sensation the chance to go for the £10,000 winners’ bonus in week five in Exeter.

However, he still managed to get viewers talking about him again for something other than his darts.

He first stunned one lucky supporter before even throwing his first dart of the night in Newcastle eight days ago.

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That’s because a gamer held out his phone to the youngster during his strike, but instead of posing for a selfie, the chap revealed his Fifa game on the phone.

All it took was for a parcel to be opened… with Littler duly obliging to the delight of his supporter – and the viewers at home watching.

And he repeated that trick in Exeter on Thursday, when he was presented with another phone with a FIFA package that had yet to be opened.

The delighted fan celebrated after Littler did the honors for him, with an eagle-eyed viewer revealing which footballer had picked the teenager.

That was Domenico Berardi, the Italian international striker who previously played for Juventus and is now with Sassuolo.

PDC World Darts runner-up Littler enjoys playing his Xbox and spent £500 of his £200,000 Ally Pally prize money on packages with very little fun.

Littler delighted his followers when he did a live stream with his girlfriend just days after thrusting himself into the public spotlight.

And even attending tournaments doesn’t stop him from getting his FC 24 fix.

Littler is regularly depicted by his co-stars preparing for competitions on stage simply by performing on his screen.

So much so that Peter Wright joked ahead of their showdown in Newcastle that he was going to steal Littler’s chill phone to disrupt his pre-match plans.

A LUCKY winner who won a £1 million jackpot wouldn’t have pocketed a penny if he hadn’t called his ex-wife.

Steve Glover couldn’t believe his eyes when he checked his lottery results and almost didn’t claim the huge windfall.

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The ex-taxi driver from Exeter took his chances in March 2023 after Yobs vandalized his caravan and foiled plans to retire in the Scottish Highlands.

Steve was overcome with joy when he discovered he had won the jackpot and had to call his ex-wife to make sure it was real.

The 73-year-old said: “I had to call my best friend, and then my ex-wife, and ask each of them to read the numbers to me to make sure I wasn’t looking at the wrong thing.

“I still pinch myself how much has changed for the better for me.

‘I was quite tired of thinking that my Scottish dream would never come true, and then Lady Luck smiled at me and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I’ve been driving people around in taxis for 30 years and now I get to drive around in my perfect motorcycle. I’m absolutely overwhelmed by how life has become.”

The former driver quickly spent the money on a fleet of new luxury vehicles, from a luxury camper to an all-terrain vehicle.

A classic Bentley and a Land Rover were also added to his impressive collection as an early Christmas gift.

“After years of towing a caravan or driving around in an old camper I wasted no time and within a month of winning I had bought myself a luxury camper, treated my best friend to one too and then said goodbye from heading to Exeter on a 1,000 mile road trip to find my dream home in Scotland,” Steve explained.

The lottery winner also bought an SUV for practical purposes, which allowed him to navigate the narrow roads through the hills of the Highlands.

“For someone like me, who has always loved anything with a motor, it is an absolute dream to be in this wonderful position to ‘play’. I am like a kid in a candy store,” he added.

Steve’s passion for cars started during his RAF career, when he would drive for the Go-Kart racing team.

His time at RAF Leuchars also fueled his dream of moving to the Highlands after serving in the area.

He said: “I drove for the RAF Go-Kart racing team during my time at Leuchars, you could say the RAF gave me my two great loves in life, Scotland and a fascination with pretty much anything with an engine.

“And although the RAF gave me a go-kart, winning the Lotto has given me a real fleet of cars. I think my current favorite is my old classic, a Bentley R Turbo.”

It comes as a lucky couple who won an eye-watering £2 million lottery jackpot have revealed how they still shop at Poundland.

Marie Kibler and husband Paul, from Birmingham, were stunned to discover the huge win but still admit they are watching their money.

Elsewhere, another lucky couple thought they had won just £2.60 on the lottery, but soon discovered they had won the £61 million jackpot.

Richard and Debbie Nuttall, both 54, from Colne, Lancashire, took home the life-changing sum in the EuroMillions draw on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

But now Debbie is embroiled in a long-running family dispute with her estranged brother Glen, who claims he hasn’t seen a cent.

Meanwhile, a fellow Lotto jackpot scooper has hit back after being accused of pocketing a £1million jackpot after breaking away from her boyfriend.

Charlotte Cox, 37, has heavily criticized her ex-partner’s Michael Cartlidge’s ‘nonsense’ claims he is entitled to half of the huge winnings.

Ex-Spalding couple Lincs are locked in a nasty war over who deserves the life-changing £1 million payout.

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