A FASHION chain loved by the Princess of Wales is to open up in seven new locations following a wave of closures.
Women’s clothing retailer Hobbs has recently closed down stores in London’s Bloomsbury, Victoria and Islington.
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The high-end fashion chain has plans for seven new stores including Canary Wharf, Watford, and Manchester.
Not only is it looking to expand its offering in the UK, but it will also be looking to open up branches in Hong Kong, Ireland, Germany and New York.
These new locations will take its number of stores to around 80, according to The Times.
The upmarket retailer has 128 concessions in Britain and overseas and targets its clothing at the “average woman between the ages of 20 and 40”.
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Hobbs was founded in London in 1981 and sold to RFG London for £111million in 2004.
TFG London also owns other brands such as Phase Eight and Whistles.
The Sun has approached Hobbs for comment.
It comes as many high street retailers are shutting down high street locations across the country.
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Major names such as Jack Wills, Co-op, Clintons and HMV all shut stores for good in January.
The rising cost of living and increasing rents have made it difficult for many to recover from the covid lockdowns.
There is also a move to more online shopping meaning that the high street is not getting the footfall it used to.
Pharmacy chain Boots has been slimming down its portfolio of branches since last year, leaving many shoppers upset.
Marks and Spencer has also been shutting down some stores, however, it has also opened up in new locations, so it’s not all bad news.
We have the full list of Marks and Spencer stores set to disappear from the high street – is one of them yours?
It is not only retailers that have been disappearing from the high streets, banks have been shutting down locations too.
One branch of Barclays is set to close as it claims it has just 32 customers.
Others such as Lloyds and Bank of Scotland are also among the 189 branches set to close in 2024.
Pubs and restaurants are also being affected, just last year Wetherspoons announced the closure of one of its pubs.
The chain – which has 827 pubs across the UK – warned last September that it was putting dozens of its pubs up for sale.
However, it is not all bad news, as along with Hobbs some retailers do have plans to expand in 2024.
We have listed just some that we know about below.
What about store openings?
Despite collapsing in August last year Wilko has delighted fans by already making a comeback.
Concept stores in Plymouth, Luton and Exeter have already opened and there is more on the way.
We have a full list of towns where Wilko is returning.
Rival discounter B&M agreed to buy up 51 Wilko locations back in September 2023.
The popular chain has already started opening up branches in locations including Sunderland, Wales and Nottinghamshire.
Sephora, the cult beauty retailer, is set to open its third UK store in Manchester next summer.
The opening marks the first Sephora store in the north of England.
The new store will be a megastore and is set to open in the city’s Trafford Centre.
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Costco is also planning to open 14 new warehouses across the UK in the next two years.
The discount retailer is currently eyeing up the locations with hopes to open the new stores there “as soon as possible”.
