‘The days of high street shopping are over’ cry customers as major outdoor clothing brand to close store
SHOPPERS have been left stunned after discovering a major outdoor clothing retailer is set to close one of its stores.
Trespass is set to pull down the shutters on its branch in the Chantry Place Shopping Centre in Norwich.
“Closing down” signs have reportedly been put up in the shop windows.
Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, told Norwich Evening News: “Trespass is leaving the centre and we are in talks with other retailers about the space.
“Just last week we welcomed Pop Specs to the centre and Ben & Jerry’s will be opening very soon too.”
It is not clear what exact date the Trespass branch will be closing.
The Sun has contacted Trespass and we will update this story when we have heard back.
News of the closure of the Norwich branch has left shoppers devastated, with many posting online.
One said: “The days of high street shopping are over unless you are a coffee shop, restaurant or some large store with a good national reputation.”
Others have called into question the quality of parking on offer in the city and the effect this has had on businesses.
It comes after Trespass, which runs around 170 UK branches, confirmed last summer it would pull down the shutters on half a dozen branches.
Stores shut in Chesterfield and Workington while others in Canterbury and Solihull were also earmarked for closure.
Further branches have closed this year, including in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands and Liverpool.
It is not the only outdoor clothing retailer to shutter branches across the UK.
Go Outdoors closed one of its shops in North Staffordshire in April with locals left gutted.
Closing down signs also went up in a Millets store in December last year.
It came after the Millets stores in Inverness and Mansfield shut their doors for good.
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING ON THE HIGH STREET
It is not just outdoor clothing retailers that have been shuttering branches in recent years.
The high street has been hit hard with shoppers’ budgets squeezed due to soaring inflation and high mortgage and rental costs.
Retailers have also had to contend with higher energy and wage costs, as well as spiking business rates.
The trend towards online shopping has steadily been growing over the last decade too.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research reveal online sales accounted for 10.6% of all retail sales in 2012 and 26.5% in 2022.
It added that retailers such as Next and John Lewis and Partners now make just a small percentage of their sales from physical branches.
It’s partly these factors that have seen some notable brands fall into administration since the start of 2023, including Wilko, Paperchase and Ted Baker.
Meanwhile, Boots said last summer it would massively consolidate its store portfolio down from 2,200 to 1,900.
It has already shuttered 253 of the stores, with a further 47 yet to welcome in customers for the final time.
But it’s not all been bad news for retailers as a number have been expanding their presence and latching on to shoppers’ needs for food, clothes and other products on the cheap.
Discount giant B&M has opened 27 branches this year, while Aldi has its eyes set on opening hundreds more stores in the coming years.
Lidl is also eyeing up potential sites where it is keen to open shops while Paperchase has since returned inside Tesco branches.
Retailers closing stores in 2024
RETAILERS have been hit by soaring inflation and a downturn in spending due to the cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online are also taking their toll.
Some high street shops have closed due to businesses opening up in different locations such as larger retail parks.
Shops may also close due to a number of other reasons, such as rising rents.
We explain which retailers are closing in 2024:
- Argos – The brand announced plans to close 100 standalone UK branches last year as it looks to move away from the high street and focus on expanding its presence in supermarkets.
- B&Q – The chain has over 300 shops across the UK, with two stores closing this year due to leases not being renewed. It has plans to open more in 2024 too.
- Boots – The health and beauty chain announced that it would be closing 300 stores last July. Closures are ongoing and this will see the retailer’s estate reduced from 2,200 to 1,900 shops.
- Clintons – Clintons mulled plans to close 38 shops in a bid to avoid insolvency late last year. We’ve listed the stores affected.
- Costa Coffee – The caffeine giant has around 2,000 sites nationwide, so chances are you’ll have one near you. The chain has shut the doors to dozens of its sites recently. We’ve revealed which stores are due to close this year.
- Iceland – The supermarket has more than 900 stores but closed nearly two dozen sites in 2023, and more selected shops are due to shut.
- Lidl – The supermarket, which has 950 stores, is changing up shop locations, which has meant that some stores have to close. But the retailer is also looking to open 12 new supermarkets.
- M&S – M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, has been closing a string of branches across the country in a blow for shoppers. It’s not all bad news, though, because the chain also has big plans to open dozens of new shops.
- Trespass – The firm announced in July last year that it was closing six branches, but more are on the way.
- WHSmith – The retail giant, which runs over 1,100 stores, has shut eight stores since March 2023, but more are coming.
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