‘I love this shop’ sob fans as fashion giant with 458 branches to close ‘cheerful’ store

A MAJOR high-street retailer with 458 branches has confirmed another store closure this year. 

Next is closing a store in Worcestershire in the coming weeks after already shutting 12 mainline stores.

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The store located in Malvern Retail Park is due to close its doors for good on May 1, 2024. 

Locals have praised the “cheerful” store online in positive Google reviews. 

One user said: “Lovely staff, always very helpful.

“It is so rare to have a good shopping experience these days,” argued another. 

A third user said: “Very convenient location and easy parking.”

A fourth user said: “Staff are cheerful with extensive knowledge of stock.”

Next has declined to comment.

Next stores in Newcastle, Hertfordshire and Derry, Northern Ireland have all closed in the last year.

But it’s not all bad news for shoppers, as during the same period, Next opened four new outlet stores.

The Outlets feature a selection of outlet products, past season collections and clearance items at discounted prices you won’t find anywhere else.

Next unveiled the plans last month in its full-year results with an update on its financial condition and operations. 

In a boost to shoppers, Next revealed it will be reducing prices by 2% due to lower buying costs for clothing and goods.

It said price tags set to fall by another 0.5% in the six months to next January.

What is happening to 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.

Several major brands have fallen into administration since the start of 2023, including Wilko and Paperchase.

This year, The Body Shop fell into administration and it has seen dozens of branches close, 82 will have shut in total by the end of the month.

Administrators for Ted Baker have confirmed 15 sites across England are closing permanently.

Boots announced it would be closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.

Retailers closing stores in 2024

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 are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.

Here’s a list of all the big-name brands closing stores this year:

• Argos – The brand announced plans to close 100 standalone UK branches last year as it looks to move away from the high street and focus on expanding its presence in supermarkets.
• B&Q – The chain has over 300 shops across the UK, so chances are you have one near you, but some stores have closed in recent months.
• Boots – The health and beauty chain announced that it would be closing 300 stores last July. Closures are ongoing and this will see the retailer’s estate reduced from 2,200 to 1,900 shops.
• Clintons – Clintons mulled plans to close 38 shops in a bid to avoid insolvency late last year. We’ve listed the stores affected.
• Costa Coffee – The caffeine giant has around 2,000 sites nationwide, so chances are you’ll have one near you. The chain has shut the doors to dozens of its sites recently. We’ve revealed which stores are due to close this year.
• Iceland – The supermarket has more than 900 stores but closed nearly two dozen sites in 2023, and more selected shops are due to shut.
• Lidl – The supermarket, which has 950 stores, is changing up shop locations, which has meant that some stores have to close. But the retailer is also looking to open 12 new supermarkets.
• M&S – M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, has been closing a string of branches across the country in a blow for shoppers. It’s not all bad news, though, because the chain also has big plans to open dozens of new shops as well.
• Trespass – The firm announced in July last year that it was closing six branches, but more are on the way.
• WHSmith – The retail giant, which runs over 1,100 stores, has shuttered eight stores since March 2023, but more are coming.

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk