A BRANCH of a high street chain is to permanently close today leaving customers “genuinely devastated” and shoppers fearing a “desolate” town.
Game in Huntingdon High Street, Cambridgeshire, is set to close for good at the end of trading today, January 14.
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Local shoppers have reacted online to the news the store is closing, saying the market town is turning into a ghost town.
One person said: “That’s genuinely devastated me that.”
Someone else added: “VERY disappointing, we visit and purchase regularly. Such a loss to the already diminishing high street!”
Another wrote: “Ghost town, empty shops will no doubt be sold to developers to build flats.”
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A third posted: “Terrible News! Huntingdon high street is awful, nothing to entice you into the town.”
A fourth commented: “It’s a shame been using this place for over ten years.”
The retailer, owned by Frasers Group, previously closed its branch on Commercial Street, Newport, Wales, on October 18.
However, it reopened inside the Sports Direct unit on the corner of the same street just two days later.
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In June last year, closure signs were seen in the windows of a Game branch in Braehead, Scotland, as it geared up to relocate to a nearby Sports Direct unit.
Game was bought out by business magnate Mike Ashley’s then Sports Direct in June 2019 as part of a £52million deal.
But by January 2020 it had announced plans to close 40 of its more than 300 stores across the UK.
There are now more than 240 Game stores nationwide. You can find your nearest by using the store locator on its website.
Elsewhere, a OneBelow store in Will Brook shopping centre, Bradley Stoke, Gloucestershire, also closed for good today.
The budget retail chain launched just four years ago and currently has 107 stores nationwide and is owned by Poundworld founder Chris Edwards.
It is rumoured the discount food retailer Lidl plans to take over the now vacant space.
The news comes during a tough time for high street retailers as they feel the squeeze from the cost of living crisis and high interest rates.
Energy costs have risen and more shoppers than ever are choosing to order online rather than head into stores.
This has left some retailers grappling with budgets and having no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
Homebase closed a store last year leaving it with just 93 stores remaining since it was taken over by Hilco Capital in 2018.
Poundstretcher closed multiple stores last year but also opened new stores in closed Wilko stores.
Even charity shops are struggling Oxfam confirmed it would close eight of its UK stores last year.
Despite the closures, it’s not all bad news for shoppers as some retailers are expanding.
The Sun recently revealed discount retailer Costco is branching out in the UK with plans to open 14 more warehouses over the next two years.
Bonmarche is opening at least seven new stores after filing for administration in 2019, while The White Company is also opening new locations.
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We also revealed that the once-huge bakery chain Patisserie Valerie, which also collapsed and closed most of its stores, has started reopening branches.
Bakeries Wenzels, Greggs, Dunkin’ Donuts and The Cornish Bakery are all in the process of expanding too.
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