QUALITY Street is making a permanent change to two flavors in its iconic chocolate cubes.

The treats are a favorite among the British, so any change is sure to please and disappoint some fans.

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In October, Quality Street changed the shape of both The Purple One and Orange Crunch candies.

Now Nestle has confirmed that the move will be permanent and that shoppers will now see them in tubs and cartons of chocolate milk.

shapeshifter

It means both flavors will be in the form of the Caramel Swirl – another popular choice for Quality Street fans.

The chocolate has a more round shape and functions a swirled pattern on top.

The Orange Crunch has also permanently switched from foil packaging to paper packaging.

But don’t worry, the recipe for the chocolate milk has not changed.

Both treats are still in the purple or orange packaging, so choc fans can tell which is which.

They won’t replace the caramel crunch, so if that’s your favorite, don’t worry.

The price of tubs containing the newly formed candies will remain the same.

‘Beloved sweets’

It comes after a successful trial in late 2023, which saw The Purple One released in a small number of The Purple One Bags.

Some chocolate fans may have also noticed the new Orange Crunch in a limited number of tubs, boxes and tins in the run-up to Christmas.

Jemma Handley, Senior Brand Manager for Quality Street, said: “Following a successful trial at Christmas, we will be rolling out new shapes for two of our much-loved sweets on a permanent basis.

“We know how iconic Quality Street sweets are and we’ve put a lot of care and attention into making sure they’re the same great-tasting The Purple One and Orange Crunch that people know and love in their iconic colored wrappers.”

The plot chickens…

This year, Nestle is also venturing into Easter and offering its Quality Street Golden Collection Incredible Egg.

An eagle-eyed shopper spotted it in B&M and posted it on social media, with one user saying: “I know which egg I want!”

The egg combines fudge and caramel pieces in a milk chocolate caramel flavor shell.

Plus, you can also get a pack of Quality Street caramels, fudge and toffees.

The Quality Street egg costs £12 in B&M, but it’s not listed online so you’ll have to head to the shops.

It follows an eventful Christmas for chocolate milk fans.

After a successful trial at Christmas, we are permanently rolling out new molds for two of our beloved sweets

Jemma HandleySenior Brand Manager for Quality Street

John Lewis brought back its pick ‘n’ mix stands, much to the delight of shoppers.

In addition, Nestle launched a new chocolate bar that combines two iconic Quality Street flavors: the Purple One and the Green Triangle.

The chocolatier also revealed that the Coffee Creme flavor made a welcome return at Christmas.

The popular brand will ditch its iconic glossy wrapping paper in 2022 in a move to become more eco-friendly.

What other foods are on the shelves?

In addition to the permanent change to Quality Street chocolate milk, there are still a number of food items on the shelves.

Australian favourites

An iconic chocolate biscuit branded “Aussie gold” has been launched in British supermarkets for the first time.

Chocolate fans are rejoicing because Tim Tams are finally on sale nationwide.

It’s not the first time British consumers have loved Australian snacks they’ve seen on the shelves.

In November they went all out on a Cadbury selection box full of Australian chocolate favorites not normally available in the UK.

They include Dairy Milk white chocolate Freddos, Scorched Peanut Bars, Snickers Butterscotch, Caramilk Twirls and regular Dairy Milk milk chocolate bars.

B&M bargains

Earlier this year, others shouted “It’s a party in my mouth” when B&M rolled out a new M&M flavor normally only seen in the land below.

The retailer is stocking a Mocha Mudcake version of the classic snack after launching it in July last year.

Now the quirky flavor has made its way to B&M, and shoppers are keen to take advantage of it.

Instagram page Newfoodfindsuk posted a photo of the 130 gram bag of candy online and almost 150 people liked the post.

Cadbury Twirl Bites in Caramilk and Strawberry were also launched last year.

Eagle-eyed foodies spotted the treats, titled “Aus Twirl” in B&M.

‘Nostaglic’ snacks

Retro food fans will also be happy to know that some of their favorite “nostalgic” snacks are back on the shelves.

Most people have a favorite chocolate bar or crunchy flavor they’d like to see again – and we can now reveal a few that do.

Aldi made biscuit lovers’ dreams come true when it revealed it would be bringing back the much-loved Elkes Sports Shortcake biscuits.

Cadbury’s iconic gold coins returned to supermarket shelves last September.

Nestle brought back a Quality Street fan favorite for Christmas last year.

The Hazelnut KitKat Chunky is back on the shelves after three years and shoppers can’t get enough of it.

More Moorish Morrisons

In addition, Morrisons began stocking Marmite crisps in February this year, after Walkers announced it would be discontinuing the flavour.

Cookie lovers rejoiced at the return of the McVities white chocolate cookie after nearly 20 years.

The tea break favorite was last on shelves in 2005 as a limited edition and made its return in July last year.

Elsewhere, Happy Faces were axed around 2015 and spotted back on shelves last year.

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A major fashion retailer will close another store this spring as a result of the latest blow to the shopping streets.

TK Maxx confirmed it is closing a city center store after shoppers questioned why the store abruptly stopped trading weeks ago.

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The popular store has more than 350 branches throughout the country, more than 80 percent of which are in England.

But it has now announced it will close its Solihull store, located in the city’s Mell Square.

TK Maxx has decided to end the lease on the local store following a temporary closure for maintenance, a Solihull Council spokesperson said.

Initially, the store chain offered no explanation for the ‘temporary’ closure in the week of February 12.

The baskets remained piled up inside, with reports of product recalls and entire racks of clothing, leaving customers confused by the sudden closure.

After weeks of silence, local shoppers were disappointed by the measure and took their frustrations to social media.

A former employee wrote: “I’m devastated to hear the store has closed.

“I worked there for just over seven and a half years and made many friends with the staff.

“One of the best places I’ve worked. It definitely won’t be the same without it.”

Another person commented: “What a shame!!! I loved that store! The Solihull branch was different from other branches.

“I will miss it immensely! I hope a decent store will follow what we all need and not a bank, restaurant or furniture store!!! Mini Primark maybe?”

But despite the branch closures, TK Maxx, along with sister store Homesense, will continue to trade from their larger Shirley store in the Sears retail park in Solihull.

A spokesperson for TK Maxx confirmed the news to The Sun: “This year, TK Maxx is proud to celebrate 30 years on the British High Street and we continue to invest in communities across the country through new store openings, relocations and modernization of our existing store. network.

“Occasionally we have to make the difficult decision to close a retail location when its lease expires, as is the case with the TK Maxx Mell Square store in Solihull.

“If we close a store, we aim to offer all our employees positions in nearby Homesense or TK Maxx stores.

“We thank our loyal Mell Square customers who can still enjoy big-brand bargains at our TK Maxx at Sears Retail Park and also find more stores or shop online at tkmaxx.com.”

CRISIS ON THE HIGH STREET

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.

SHOPPERS are rushing to buy Surf detergent from a major retailer claiming “you’ll never get it this cheap again”.

Asda has cut the price of Tropical Lily concentrated laundry detergent by 50%, from £3.50 to £1.75.

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The retailer is selling it online and it appears it’s in stores too, although it’s not clear if it’s available in all stores.

It might be worth calling your local Asda branch to see if they have anything in stock for £1.75.

You won’t find it cheaper anywhere else anyway, at the next cheapest retailer, Tesco, which sells it for £2.95 to Clubcard customers.

After that it’s Waitrose selling it for £3.25, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s for £3.50 and then Iceland for £6.

Eagle-eyed shoppers have already started noticing the reduced detergent on Asda shelves, with customer numbers reportedly limited to three each.

Post to the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK groupsaid one shopper: “Asda has bottles of Surf detergent for £1.75 in Tropical Lilly.

“Ren, you’ll never get it this cheap again.”

The Facebook post has racked up more than 80 likes and received dozens of comments from shoppers eager to get their hands on the affordable detergent.

One said: “I have a few because it’s my favourite”, while another noted the “ridiculous” price and a third said it “smells so good”.

One customer said they weren’t thrilled with the detergent, but another customer quickly responded with “at that price, who cares.”

Of course, don’t forget to always shop around when you buy something like this, because you might find it cheaper elsewhere.

For example, on websites such as Trolley and Price Spy you can compare prices of thousands of products.

Please note that both websites rely on the retailer’s online prices, which may differ from in-store prices.

It’s not the first time in recent months that shoppers have panicked after spotting a bargain on the shelves.

Last month a B&M shopper found the ‘bargain of the year’ after spotting giant boxes of Easy washing powder for £1.40 each.

Tesco Clubcard shoppers also bought five packs of Cadbury Creme eggs on offer for £1.50, the cheapest we found them for.

Meanwhile, B&M customers were excited after seeing a new Cadbury Twirl flavor on shelves earlier this week for just 29p.

How to save money at Asda

Asda superfan Eilish Stout-Cairns previously shared with The Sun five money-saving tips you can use on your next trip.

Firstly, she said, it’s worth buying Asda’s budget Just Essentials range, which can save you hundreds of pounds a year.

You don’t just have to apply this tip in Asda either: ‘downshifting’, as Martin Lewis calls it, can save you money in all major supermarkets.

Asda shoppers should also sign up to the retailer’s Rewards programme, which rewards you with “pounds” when you spend in-store or online.

You can also get up to 10% cashback on so-called “Star Products”, which change regularly and are highlighted to you in the app.

In other Asda news, the retailer is opening hundreds of convenience stores across the UK as part of massive expansion plans.

Additionally, in January it unveiled 82 cashless locations, which was a blow to shoppers.

Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing squeezeteam@thesun.co.uk.

Moreover, you can join us Sun Money chats and tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories.

META has given WhatsApp users the opportunity to pin up to three important messages in chats, instead of one.

But WhatsApp users say it’s not enough.

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Last year, the popular messenger launched the ability to pin a message in a WhatsApp chat.

This means that a message will be flagged for everyone in the chat and can be easily retrieved even after the conversation has continued – for a limited time.

Users can set a time limit for which the message will be pinned, with one week being the default amount.

If WhatsApp users want to earmark a message for longer, it is advisable to use the star function instead.

Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday that the app will increase the number of pins to a maximum of three messages per chat.

In groups or even in one-on-one chats, users can pin all kinds of messages, from a standard text or image to polls and emojis.

And in true WhatsApp fashion, messages are still end-to-end encrypted even when pinned.

However, users are still not satisfied.

“Three is not enough, make it five,” said one WhatsApp user Posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“There must be at least five,” another added.

A third person tweeted: “What I like is pinning unlimited posts, not just 3”

“I want to spend without limits,” said a fourth.

How to pin a message on WhatsApp

• Long press on the message and select ‘Pin’ from the context menu.
• A banner will appear where you can select the duration of the pinned message: 24 hours, seven days, and 30 days.
• In a group chat, admins have the option to select whether all members or only admins can pin a message.

HOME-Bargains has slashed the price of a GIANT version of an iconic chocolate treat.

The retailer is selling the Grand Ferrero Rocher milk for just £3, but not everyone is impressed.

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The giant chocolate treat has been reduced by 43% just in time for Easter, so instead of €5.25, customers can buy one for just €2.99.

The Grand Ferrero Rocher weighs 125g, which is considerably larger than the regular sized chocs.

However, reviews about the product show that this jumbo chocolate treat is more of a miss than a hit.

One person who reviewed the product said: “I love Ferrero Rocher chocolate, but this tasted like a very cheap version of it.”

Another added: “Pointless waste of money.”

While a third chocolate fan commented: “Don’t buy this as a gift for anyone, it’s just a thin shell of nutty chocolate.”

Many of the reviews were from people who expected the Grand Ferrero Rocher to be normally full.

One disgruntled Ferrero fan wrote: “It’s just an empty, hollow shell. I expected it to be filled with Nutella, a complete waste of money.”

Don’t buy this as a gift for anyone!

Social media user

The product description on the Home Bargains website states that the item is “a delicious hollow shell of the finest chocolate” and we also checked other sites.

Tesco also stock the Ferrero Rocher Grand, although it is more expensive at £6.50, and the description states that the egg is hollow.

Some websites also have a photo showing the item once it has been broken open, showing the cavity inside.

However, the product is very striking, so it can easily be assumed that it is a giant replica of the original, complete with padding.

Morrisons also stock the chocolate treat, and it costs £4.50, so if you want to try it, Home Bargains is currently the cheapest around.

Meanwhile, consumers reacted very differently to another Ferrero Rocher product hitting shelves in January.

A sweet-toothed Facebook user spotted the white chocolate hazelnut egg on the shelves of their local Tesco branch.

The luxury egg was cut from £15 to £10 for Clubcard holders.

Although this egg is also hollow, it is filled with the classic foil-wrapped Ferrero Rocher chocolate.

One chocolate fan raved about the egg online, saying: “My dreams have come true.”

Another said: “Yummy.”

Supermarket shelves are currently full of Easter treats and offers. It’s hard to know where to go for the best selection and the cheapest price.

To help you out, we tested branded Easter eggs and the winner beats both Cadbury and Lindt.

This week we also looked at where you can go to buy the cheapest Easter eggs, as supermarkets battle it out in the price war.

We’ve included retailers like Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Iceland.

Choc fans may be pleased to know that two major supermarkets have recently slashed prices on some Lindt chocolate Easter eggs this week

If you haven’t purchased your Easter eggs yet, we can also reveal the exact date of purchase to ensure you get the cheapest prices.

Petula Clark’s husband Claude Wolff has died at the age of 93 after a short illness.

The British singer, 91, announced the news on her social media page on Wednesday, admitting she “couldn’t find the words” to describe how she was feeling.

Petula wrote: ‘Our hearts are heavy. This afternoon Claude, my husband of so many amazing years, passed away, leaving us without words to describe this terrible emotion, sadness.

“Thank you, my dear children and friends, for giving me the strength to get through this overwhelming grief. Peace be with you, Cheri. RIP Claude Wolff (1931-2024).’

Petula’s Facebook post was flooded with messages of condolence in the comments section, as friends and fans sent their condolences to the star.

The actor and producer was known for his work in the film industry, working with his estranged wife on several projects.

Petula and Claude met in the 1950s and remained together for three decades before parting romantically but remaining married until his death.

The former couple met at the Vogue label at a meeting to discuss Petula’s liaison in Paris in 1957, where Claude was “immediately attracted” to Petula.

After the meeting, Petula was told that Claude would work with her if she recorded in French, and she agreed.

They worked together on the 1968 film Petula, in which Claude worked as a producer, and on Here’s Lucy, filmed the same year, where he was an actor.

Petula, who shares three children with Claude, spoke to the Loose Women about their unusual arrangement during a 2016 gig.

She said: ‘We are still married. Claude is the father of our wonderful children.

“We still live together, but he has his own life and I have mine, and somehow it works.”

“These things are hard to talk about in public, but it works.”

From 2012, Petula and Claude lived together in Switzerland. They are parents to their son Patrick, 52, and their two daughters Barbara and Katherine.

Despite her tryst with Claude, Petula found love again, although she admitted it wasn’t a “light bulb” moment like it was with Claude.

She told the Loose Women panel: ‘There’s someone there and it’s very nice and Claude knows about it. There is no secret.’

‘We became friends first and the romantic side came later. I think that’s pretty good too, because it’s not a frantic passion. It’s good to be friends with your husband!’

In 2016, Petula told The Daily Mail of her husband: ‘He’s in Geneva and I’ll see him when I go back. It is funny. Life does these things to us.

‘Of course it’s painful to think that something so wonderful had changed, but he has his life and I have mine. We have three wonderful children together and we love each other very much.

‘It’s just different now. It may not be perfect, but we’ll make the best of it.’

They went their separate ways in the 1980s and have remained close ever since and have never divorced. Claude also found a new partner, but they remained tight-lipped about the identity of their new loves.

During an interview with the Daily Mail in 2013, Petula said she believed her busy career was “preventing her from being a good mother.”

She said: ‘I wasn’t a good mother because I was away so much. I tried my best to be the perfect mother, the perfect wife and a great artist.

‘I thought I could do it all, but I can’t. Sorry, but that’s just not possible. I tried hard, but being a parent and getting married is a full-time job.”

On leaving her children behind to perform, she said: “Emotionally, every time I had to leave it was quite a shock, and I think the whole sad thing of saying goodbye to the children so often stayed with the children for years .

“I used to rush home whenever I could and turn down a lot of job offers so I could be with them, but I still had to earn a living.

“Whatever wrong I did back then, I hope I’ve been able to put it right since then.” Petula first stepped on stage at the age of six and went on to become one of the most successful British female artists in history, with more than 68 million records sold worldwide and a string of number one hits, including I Know A Place .’

A MAJOR second-hand sales marketplace has seen a huge change in rates, leaving customers thrilled.

Depop is completely eliminating the 10% sales fee for users in the UK.

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Sellers who list items on the platform will get more money in their pockets with every sale starting March 20, as the 10% sales fee for new listings will be eliminated.

This change will be communicated to UK users this week as part of a wider update to the company’s fee structure.

To fund the reduction in fixed fees, Depop is introducing a small marketplace fee for UK buyers from April 15, 2024.

The marketplace fee is a maximum of 5% of the purchase price of the item, plus a flat fee of up to €1, excluding taxes and shipping costs.

The usual Depop payment processing fees still apply.

Kruti Patel Goyal, CEO of Depop, said: “Our mission is to make fashion circular – we want to encourage as many people as possible to choose second-hand over new.

“The Depop community has been championing second-hand and vintage fashion for years and pioneering changes in the fashion industry. As more and more people see resale as an alternative to retail, we want to increase the impact of our growing community by continually finding ways to make it easier to participate in the circular economy.

“This change will ensure that sellers get more money in their pockets with every sale, allowing our existing community – as well as those new to reselling – to list more, sell more and earn more, while contributing to a more circular fashion system.

“More offers mean more choice for UK shoppers at a wider price range; helping them find the items they love, within budget.”

The online marketplace made headlines last October when it dropped PayPal as a payment method on its app, leaving both buyers and sellers furious.

It came when Depop switched to its own payment method: Depop Payments.

PayPal became unavailable on October 23, 2023.

Depop Payments reached all app users in both the UK and US.

How do other online marketplace apps compare?

There are several other online marketplaces to consider if you want to sell your clothes online.

These include Vinted, eBay and Etsy.

Some platforms charge sellers a fee or take a commission that can eat into profits.

On Etsy, you’ll need to factor in a 16 cent listing fee, 6.5% transaction fee, 4% + 20 cent payment processing fee.

You can list up to 1,000 items per month for free on eBay.

You pay a 12.8% commission on what you sell, plus a 30 cent fee.

Facebook Marketplace is an easy way to sell to local buyers using your Facebook account.

Most users are looking for a bargain, so you may not get a high price, but it’s fairly hassle-free and you won’t pay any commissions or advertising fees.

HAVE you ever bagged such a bargain that you wanted to shout it from the rooftops?

Well, that’s the reality one savvy shopper found herself in after a recent visit to her local Boots.

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Louise Mae joined money-saving Facebook group ‘Shopping tips, tricks and offers with yellow stickers‘ and proudly posted a photo of her mega harvest.

The bargains include nine Dove roll-on deodorants reduced to just 45 cents on sale, three bottles of SO…? rainbow sherbet body spray reduced to just £1 and two boxes of wax strips at 50p each.

The bargain hunter also bought two bags of Vow Nutrition pre-workout, which usually cost £24.99, for just £1.90, along with a 20p bag of crisps.

Alongside the post she wrote: “Some good bargains in Boots.”

But despite being delighted with her purchases, not everyone was impressed, with some calling her ‘greedy’.

Louise hit back at the trolls, writing: ‘You know all I’ve done is post what I’ve got and people are so awful, I’ve taken what I wanted and that’s why it’s on the shelves.

“There was still enough left and all those negative people should get a life.”

All the people involved in the comments, because the girl bought some bargains. You’re all just jealous. I would have bought them all too.”

Elsewhere, others were quick to defend her and condemn negative keyboard warriors for being ‘jealous’.

“I completely agree that she hasn’t been greedy at all,” wrote one.

A second praised: “Love it! And you still get boot points too!”

A third commented: “Excellent!”

And a fourth added: “Amazing!”

And Louise is not the only bargain hunter who has stolen all the offers with huge discounts from the shelves in recent weeks.

Fabulous previously told how shoppers kept shouting: ‘If you’re not quick, you’ll be last’ woman cleared away 14 bottles of drinks in Asda that is flogged for 37 cents.

Destiny Nicole Lawler raced online to the Facebook group Extreme Coupons and Bargains UK and posted a photo of the Starbucks Mocha bottles with yellow stickers she came across.

They were discounted from £1.25 to just 37p each, making an impressive saving of 88p per drink.

“I already got these 37p each from Asda, valid until April,” she wrote.

“Of course I would have picked up four and left the others for other people. But until I joined this group and saw how people are taking care of themselves, I decided to take all fourteen.”

A POPULAR sports store with 500 branches is about to permanently close one of its branches.

Sports Direct is closing its store on Octagon Parade in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

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A disappointed local woman said on Facebook she was “deeply concerned” about what the closure would do to the town.

The message read: “Soon there will be no more stores. Sports Direct is closing, so now Wycombe has hardly any sportswear shops, no computer games shops and no toy shops.

“I have serious concerns about what is being done to attract people to spend money in Wycombe.”

Others commented on the post to share their thoughts.

I’m seriously done with this dead city

Social media user

One person said: “I mainly blame online shopping, it has destroyed the high street and the councils are not helping with their high rents either.”

Another added: “I’m seriously done with this dead city.”

While a third commented: “Until people stop buying online, no big stores will survive.”

However, all is not lost for shoppers as the store is moving to another building in the city.

The new Sports Direct store will be located in the former Zara unit in the Eden Shopping Centre.

A spokesperson for Frasers Group, which owns Sports Direct, told The Sun: “We are delighted to be opening a new, high-quality shopping destination at the Eden Shopping Center in High Wycombe.”

“The Sports Direct store will give High Wycombe customers access to the world’s best sports and lifestyle brands, as well as offering other brands from the Frasers Group ecosystem, including USC and GAME.”

The Frasers Group is owned by billionaire businessman Mike Ashley, who stepped in to save House of Fraser from collapse in 2018.

The group operates a number of high street and online brands.

In recent months, the group has closed branches across its entire retail portfolio.

Game, House of Fraser and Flannels branches have been closed over the past twelve months.

We recently revealed that Game is closing its store in the Union Square Shopping Center in Torquay, Devon.

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

Meanwhile, designer clothing chain Choice has downed the shutters of one of its stores in Bromley.

The group also took the luxury brand Matchesfashion into administration earlier this month.

What about new store openings for the group?

It’s not all bad news for Frasers Group, as it has also opened several locations in the UK.

The group has opened new concept stores featuring various Frasers brands such as Sports Direct, Flannels and beauty halls, as well as products from USC, Jack Willks and GAME.

In September it cut the ribbon on the latest of its new department stores with popular brands such as Sports Direct and Game in Norwich.

There are plans to open two more concept stores in Blackpool and Sheffield.

The group also announced it will take over the former John Lewis site in the Queensgate Shopping Centre, Peterborough.

A new sportswear store is also opening at The Precinct in Coventry.

What else is happening on the shopping street?

Retailers have been feeling the pressure since the pandemic and many are struggling to stay afloat.

High energy costs and rents mean that many large companies are starting to slim down the number of high street stores they operate.

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.

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.

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.

We have the full list of chains opening stores in 2024. See if one is coming to a shopping street near you.

Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing money@the-sun.co.uk.

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SHE’s the queen of arts and crafts – and now Stacey Solomon has revealed how she gave a simple £30 Facebook bargain a whole new look on the cheap.

Even though Stacey has the money for chic furniture, that doesn’t mean the mother of five will ever say “no” to a fun DIY project — and one of her latest Instagram videos is proof.

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The Loose Women panellist, 34, recently revealed how she cleared out an old cream cupboard she found on Facebook Marketplace and turned it into a ‘packing station’.

“I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” the mother said the videoadding that it cost her £30.

Once the beautiful wooden cupboard arrived, Stacey – who first found fame on X Factor in 2009 – removed all the shelves and doors.

“I took the hinges off the doors and then screwed them into the shelves so I could make a fold-out surface to wrap around,” the Sort Your Life Out star explained.

To make the wrapping station extra hip, Stacey also replaced the old buttons with funky gold scissor style buttons that matched the theme perfectly, as well as four pink buttons at the bottom.

”Then I just grabbed tension rods, put my wrapping paper on the tension rods and slid them into the closet.

“Then some hooks for my scissors, and a small transparent shelf for my other accessories.”

While creating the wrapping station, the crafty mom confessed that she always forgets everyone’s birthdays — so she also added a little calendar to remind her of the special dates.

Meanwhile, the drawers were filled with paper bags and tissue paper, greeting cards and other gift accessories that she had placed in old IKEA baskets that she had previously spray painted.

”And voila – gift station ready. I love it so much – it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!” the mother was absolutely delighted.

“And now I no longer have to scour the entire room just for a birthday card.”

She added in the caption: “It will live in the office and be my little cupboard of packing heaven forever.”

Since it was shared on the platform, where Stacey has almost 6 million followers, the clip has gone viral, racking up 4.9 million views in just one day.

Hundreds of amazed DIY fanatics rushed to the comments to praise the crafty mum, with one writing: ”That’s a winner!”

Another begged: “My fish locker, please.”

Someone else said: ‘I’m so jealous of how creative and crafty you are!

‘I wish I could do things like this! I can’t even replace the door handles on my normal doors.”

“I want one but I don’t even need it,” wrote a fourth.

Who is Stacey Solomon?

She first rose to fame as an X Factor contestant over a decade ago and has since built a successful TV career.

Stacey has put in an impressive performance net worth of £4 million, we previously reported.

According to The Sun, the accounts of her company Key Map Entertainments show that Stacey has £1.7 million in cash in the company, as well as assets she has already earned through the company.

Stacey paid herself £575,931 for her work in 2021.

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