High street shoe chain with 300 locations to close store doors for good – but it’s not all bad news for shoppers
A MAJOR high street shoe chain with more than 300 stores is to close one store’s doors for good.
Shoezone is closing another shop following a string of closures.
One of the chain’s stores in Leicester’s Market Place is closing down.
But the discount footwear chain is not leaving the city centre and the store is being relocated instead.
Staff at the branch confirmed that it will be closing and relocating.
The chain will be opening a new, bigger branch at 38-40 Gallowtree Gate, near Sports Direct.
The unit was formerly occupied by a Barnardo’s charity shop, which closed permanently in July this year.
We contacted Shoezones to find out exactly when the relocation will take place.
The popular retailer has more than 300 stores and employs around 2,500 people.
It sells over 16 million pairs of shoes every year.
The high street chain has already closed 11 branches this year.
The popular retailer has already shut stores in the following locations in 2023:
- London Road, Waterlooville, Portsmouth
- High Street, Southend (Relocation)
- The Drapery, Northampton (Relocation)
- Bell Centre, Melton, Leicestershire
- Broad Street, Seaford, East Sussex
- Well Croft, Shipley
- Longton Exchange Shopping Centre, Stoke-on-Trent
- Dockhead Street, Saltcoats
- Broadmead Shopping Centre, Bristol
- Grand Junction Retail Park, Crewe
- Cameron Toll Shopping Centre, Edinburgh
It’s also yet to shut or relocate the following branches, although the exact dates haven’t been confirmed:
- Newton Abbot
- Watford
- Hinckley
- Beccles
- Cromer, Norfolk
- Weymouth (Relocation)
- Isle of Wight
Why is Shoezone shutting shops?
The retailer looks to open new “big box and hybrid” format stores from its original, smaller formats.
These stores will offer more stock and a greater range of styles, according to the retailer.
In its annual results, Shoezone said it was hoping to expand its store refit and relocation programme this year.
Retailers have been feeling the pinch since the pandemic while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to soaring inflation.
High energy costs and a shift to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The inability to renegotiate rents and agreements with landlords is also putting pressure on some retailers to pull out of some locations.
A number of well-known retailers including Argos, Lloyds Pharmacy and Poundstretcher have also closed stores in recent months.