SHOPPERS have been left reeling as a shoe chain gears up to close two of its stores, with one shuttering in just days.
It comes with another footwear retailer set to close one of its branches next month too.
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Shoezone is pulling down the shutters on its branch in Stroud, Gloucestershire, on April 19, a member of staff confirmed.
Meanwhile, the retailer, which currently runs over 330 UK stores, will permanently close its shop in Peterhead, Scotland, reports the Press and Journal.
The Aberdeenshire branch will close for good in June, although an exact date has not been confirmed.
News of the two closures has been met with devastation from locals and shoppers alike.
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One, commenting on the Stroud closure, said: “The good old days in Stroud is (sic) gone it will never come back.”
Meanwhile, another one simply added: “Another one bites the dust.”
And a third said: “Stroud is beginning to be a ghost town yet again.”
Locals in Peterhead have reacted with much the same level of disappointment after finding out their Shoezone branch will shut.
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One said: “Legit got nothing in this town and they think closing the shops we do have is going to help?”
Another added “soon nothing left in the town centre” while a third commented “bl**dy shame. Fine staff and decent prices”.
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It comes with shoemaker Clarks set to close in Stroud in a double hit for the town’s high street.
The store is set to close at the end of May, although an exact date has not yet been revealed for when it will welcome in customers for the final time.
We have approached Clarks to find out and will update this story when we have heard back.
Shoezone has already closed a string of stores across the UK as it shuffles its portfolio.
The retailer shut 13 stores in 2023, in locations including Portsmouth, Leicestershire, Bristol and Suffolk.
It has plans to close a branch in Inverness, Scotland, over the coming months too, although it’s not clear exactly when.
But, as is common practice for plenty of retailers, Shoezone has also been opening stores across the UK.
Last year, the brand confirmed to The Sun it had opened eight stores over 12 months.
The retailer pulled up the shutters on branches in Maidstone, Bristol, South Shields, Gravesend and Colchester.
Clarks has also not been immune to the tough economic backdrop either, shuttering a string of branches in recent months.
The chain closed its store in East Grinstead, West Sussex, on March 24, and has plans to shut its Maidenhead store in June.
What else is happening on the high street?
The high street has been hit hard in recent years as shoppers increasingly turn their attentions to online retail.
High energy and wage costs and business rates have further piled pressure on businesses, forcing many to close.
A number of major brands have crashed into administration since the start of 2023, including Wilko and Paperchase.
This year, The Body Shop fell into administration which has seen dozens of branches close. Eighty two will have shut in total by the end of April.
Other retailers have been closing shops in a bid to reduce their physical presence across the UK.
Last June, Boots said it would be shutting 300 of its 2,200 stores in areas where it already operates one.
Superdry started closing eight of its 104 UK branches last July as part of a £35million cost-cutting project.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year, and more are coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre’s director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is “less bad” than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
“The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend,” Prof Bamfield said.
“Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult.”
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023’s biggest failures included UK Flooring Direct, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
Last year, around 14% of insolvencies were in retail businesses, according to official figures.
But, as is the case with Shoezone, it’s not all bad news in the sector as a number of chains are opening branches too.
B&M has opened 17 branches already this year, while Aldi has its eyes set on opening hundreds more branches in the coming years.
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DIY chain Screwfix is also set to open dozens of branches as its owner Kingfisher looks to expand its nationwide presence.
Major supermarket chain Asda has also been opening dozens of branches across the UK.
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
