HUNDREDS of high street brands are closing stores for good this year, and a number will shut in May.
Retailers have been feeling the pinch since the pandemic while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to soaring inflation.
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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 closures come after a number of big retailers disappeared from the high street completely in April.
Stationary shop Paperchase fell into administration in February and shut all of its stores two months later.
Supermarket giant Tesco stepped up to buy the rights to the brand, but not its shops.
M&Co also bought the shutters down on all of its 170 shops on April 22.
Plus, home retailer Argos announced it will close all of its stores in the Republic of Ireland this year.
In May, some well-known retailers will be shutting a handful of branches – we reveal all below.
Iceland
Iceland has already shut the doors on more than half a dozen shops, with more closures on the way.
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Several stores closed for good earlier this year, including branches in Bromsgrove, Basingstoke and Rhyl.
Plus, a further three stores in Newport, Berwick and Hexham closed on Saturday (April 22).
Shoppers in Flint, Wales, will lose their store on May 27.
While Iceland has closed a handful of stores this year, the supermarket says it has opened around 200 stores over the last 10 years.
It opened 24 new stores during the last financial year.
B&M
B&M has announced its Bishop Auckland branch will shut on May 5.
In a statement posted to its website, the chain said: “Unfortunately your B&M Bishop Auckland store at 4 Saddler Street will close on Friday 5th May 2023.
“We’d like to apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this closure.”
B&M has already shut five of its branches this year – and we have put together a full list so you can check if one near you had disappeared.
Banks
Major banks are opting to close local branches as more people make the switch to digital and online banking.
Check to see if your bank will be closing in May.
Barclays
- Chislehurst – May 4
- Leyburn – May 5
- London (Fleet Street) – May 3
- Oundle – May 5
- Radlett – May 5
- St Helens – May 4
- Watton – May 3
Halifax
- Bletchley – May 18
- Chingford – May 5
- Golders Green – May 3
- Norbury – May 4
- Putney – May 4
- Redruth – May 16
- Sheerness – May 18
- Surbiton – May 10
HSBC
- Arnold – May 9
- Brecon – May 9
- Bridport – May 23
- Brighouse – May 16
- Coleraine – May 2
- Didcot – May 9
- Dover – May 9
- Dundee – May 30
- Fakenham – May 23
- Filton – May 30
- Gainsborough – May 2
- Halesowen – May 16
- Hove – May 23
- Launceston – May 2
- Leicester – May 30
- Liskeard – May 23
- Market Harborough – May 30
- Minehead – May 9
- Stamford – May 16
- Stourport-On-Severn – May 30
- Stroud – May 16
- Waltham Cross – May 30
- Whitby – May 16
- Whitley Bay – May 2
- Wilmslow – May 2
- Sudbury – May 23
Lloyds Bank
- Beeston – May 11
- Borehamwood – May 22
- Ipswich – May 4
- Lampeter – May 15
- Littlehampton – May 23
- London – May 3
- Twickenham – May 11
- Weybridge – May 10
- Whitstable – May 11
- Wickersley – May 15
NatWest closures
- Bootle – May 10
- Broadwater – May 16
- Colwyn Bay – May 17
- Cranbrook – May 30
- Crawley – May 11
- Dunstable – May 3
- Exeter – May 9
- Frome – May 11
- Ilminster – May 18
- London (Marylebone) – May 23
- Maidstone – May 4
- Sheerness – May 25
- Torquay – May 31
TSB closures
- Kirkwall – May 24
- Aberfeldy – May 16
- Newark – May 9
- Luton – May 30
- Banbury – May 31
- Keynsham – May 2
- Evesham – May 4
- Glasgow (G53) – May 17
- Wigan – May 11
Other stores that are closing this year
As well as companies leaving the high street for good, other major retailers have announced they’ll be shutting some of their branches this year too.
Frankie and Benny’s owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) revealed in March that it is considering shutting 35 sites over the next two years.
The Sun has so far spotted three Frankie and Benny’s restaurants listed for sale by estate agents Savills.
In December 2022, pub chain Wetherspoons announced it would be closing a total of 39 pubs after being hit by soaring inflation.
Plus burger chain Byron Burger fell into administration, immediately closing nine of its branches.
Prezzo is to close 46 branches after being hit hard by soaring energy and food costs.
The Italian restaurant chain has said about 810 workers are at risk of redundancy as part of the overhaul.
The four remaining standalone Cath Kidston stores are also set to close after Next agreed to buy it out of administration.
If you want to know more about store closures, you can read our full list of high street chains closing for good this year.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
