A NUMBER of retailers are closing stores in July – we reveal the full list.
The high street has been hit hard in recent years due to the growth of online retailing which was accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Meanwhile, runaway inflation means shoppers are holding back from spending as much.
It comes as research from the British Retail Consortium reveals retailers remain cautious about opening new stores.
It found the overall shop vacancy rate in Britain in the first three months of 2023 was 13.8%, the same as the last three months of 2022.
New Look, Argos and Habitat are among some of the retailers closing stores in July – here’s the full list.
Iceland
Supermarket chain Iceland has already pulled down the shutters on more than half a dozen shops this year.
But the retailer, which operates around 500 branches currently, plans to make one further closure in July too.
It will close its St David’s Place branch in Swansea City Centre on July 29.
Its store in Birkenhead is closing on September 16 as well.
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New Look
Fashion retailer New Look has already closed several stores this year after it pulled down the shutters on 85 in 2018.
The business closed two in Birmingham in January while another in Trowbridge shut for good the same month.
Meanwhile, two branches in Coventry and Walthamstow, London, closed in January and February.
It closed its Witham branch in May as well with another going in June.
The retailer is also planning to close its store in Teesside Retail Park, Stockton-on-Tees on July 7.
That said, New Look did open several shops across the UK in November 2022.
In total, the retailer operates over 400 stores in the UK.
Argos
Argos closed all 34 of its stores in the Republic of Ireland on June 24.
It came after the retailer’s home delivery service wound down across the country in March.
The retailer is also closing two standalone stores in the UK this year, including one in Newport, Wales, later this summer.
Meanwhile, its branch in Cardiff Bay is closing in July, although Sainsbury’s, which owns the brand, has not yet given an exact date.
But it’s not all bad news. While the retailer is moving away from the high street it is expanding its presence in supermarkets.
By the end of March, it had opened 25 Argos locations inside Sainsbury’s stores.
Meanwhile, by the end of March 2024, Sainsbury’s plans to have 160 standalone stores and between 430 and 460 Argos counters inside its supermarkets.
Habitat
Huge homeware brand Habitat is set to disappear from the high street in July when it closes its last three standalone stores.
Three branches in Brighton, Leeds and White City’s Westfield, London, will close permanently.
The retailer is yet to confirm the exact dates each of the three branches will close though.
Sainsbury’s, which owns the Habitat brand, has said it will look to redeploy all impacted shop staff within its own supermarkets or Argos stores.
What other closures are coming in 2023?
It’s not just shops that are closing and leaving the high street for good over the coming months.
In March, Frankie and Benny’s owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) revealed it is considering shutting 35 sites over the next two years.
The Sun has so far seen three Frankie and Benny’s restaurants listed for sale by estate agents Savills.
Meanwhile, in December last year, giant pub chain Wetherspoons announced it would be closing a total of 39 pubs after being hit by soaring inflation.
Plus, 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 Sun has compiled a list of all the high street chains leaving the high street for good in 2023.
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