A HIGH street fashion retailer with 250 branches is set to close what shoppers call a “fantastic” store in days.
Matalan will be pulling the shutters down for the final time on one of its shops next week.
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Matalan in The Core Shopping Centre, in Leeds, will close on February 24, according to local news reports.
It’s also been reported that plans are in place to demolish the entire shopping centre in favour of a development featuring a mix of shops and student accommodation.
Locals have reacted to the news on social media over the past few weeks.
One posted: “There’s gonna be nothing left in town soon.”
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Another wrote: “[In] 15 to 20 years time there will be no high street.”
A third commented: “Use it a lose it, if the footfall can’t support it, it has to go, very sad but that’s where we are.”
A fourth said: “I can’t believe it. The Leeds I knew has already gone.”
And a fifth declared: “Omg bl***y stupid.”
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While another shopper posted: “Noooooo!!!!!”
“That’s a shame I liked the core shopping Center,” a disappointed local said.
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Reviews for the Matalan shop on Google have branded the site as “fantastic” and “quality clothing for the whole family”.
A spokesperson for Matalan said: “We are working closely with our affected colleagues and doing all we can to find suitable positions in our local store network.
“Customers in the area will still be able to be able to access our full range of products via our website.
“We would like to thank all of our customers in the local community for shopping with us.”
Several other Mataln shops have also closed their doors in recent months.
Matalan pulled down the shutters on its clearance store in Church Gate, Leicester, in January.
It also closed its Leytonstone store for the final time last month after trading for over two decades.
Shoppers in Renfrew were left devastated in September when it announced the closure of its Blythswood Retail Park store.
What else is happening on the high street?
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 on their way.
Several major brands have also collapsed, such as Wilko and Paperchase.
Many retailers have been struggling to get by, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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 have no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
Several big-name chains are pulling down the shutters for the final time this month.
High street designer brand Kurt Geiger has pulled down the shutters on its shop in Brighton for the last time.
An iconic department store has also shut its flagship London store forever.
It was announced last year that Fenwick would be closing its central London store in Bond Street for good, and on February 3, it pulled down the shutters for the last time.
A Tesco Express in the Whitefriars Shopping Centre will be temporarily closed until March 4.
Lidl will be pulling the shutters down on its site in Thornaby later this month.
The bargain retailer has confirmed the sites in Stockton-on-Tees will shut on February 29.
Boots revealed it would be closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.
High street fashion chain Peacocks pulled down the shutters of its branch in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, last month.
Entertainment retailer HMV also shuttered its branch in Boston, Lincolnshire, on January 27.
And, the hospitality sector has also been hit, seeing pubs like Wetherspoons and restaurants like Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito shut their doors.
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Meanwhile, shoppers have been left disappointed after a beloved electrical retailer announced that it will close one of its branches for good.
Plus, Wetherspoons fans were saddened after a sudden closure saw their favourite pub pull down shutters last week.
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