FANS are devastated a much-loved toy store is pulling down the shutters for good today.
“Kids, staff and shoppers” are “gutted” that The Entertainer branch in Cheltenham town is closing down.
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The retailer, which has 160 shops nationwide, is waving goodbye to high street customers today, according to local reports.
Nick Hargreaves, Chief Operations Officer at The Entertainer, said: “Due to the planned redevelopment of The Galleries shopping centre, it is with great sadness that we have to announce the closure of our store within the centre, which has been part of the local community for several years.
“We would like to thank our staff for their incredible service through the years and of course our customers for their loyalty.
“We’re working closely with our Galleries store team to look at opportunities for them elsewhere in the business.
“The Entertainer has three stores close to The Galleries for local shoppers to visit; Cabot Circus, Cribbs Causeway and Keynsham.
“The teams in-store will be delighted to welcome new faces, and customers can also continue to shop online at www.thetoyshop.com.
“Our mission is simple: to become the best-loved toyshop – one child, one community at a time and we’re very proud of the contribution that our store at The Galleries made in fulfilling that ambition over the years.”
Reacting to the news of the Cheltenham closures on Facebook, one shopper said: “This was the best toy shop in town with the best staff who were so helpful gonna miss it.”
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Another said: “What a shame my grandkids will be gutted we go in there every time we go to town the staff are amazing so helpful and friendly.”
“Kids, staff and shoppers gutted,” said a third.
And, fans in Bristol will also be saddened to hear their branch in The Galleries Shopping Centre is also shutting down for good this month.
Meanwhile, families in Horsham, West Sussex, are set to see their Entertainer store, in Bishops Weald House, leave early this year too.
However, branches in Crawley and Haywards Heath are due to stay open.
It comes as strings of closures have swept the nation as the cost of living rises, energy bills soar and some businesses continue to feel the knock-on effect from the Pandemic.
Even industry giants have fallen victim to high street closures in recent months.
Shoppers have been forced to slash their spending while the cost of running stores has also increased.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) this summer found the UK had lost 6,000 stores over a five-year period.
Popular beauty retailer Boots sadly announced it will be closing 300 shops over the next year, following several closures in 2023.
Meanwhile, discount food shop Lidl, have also seen their fair share of locations shut down.
The full list, of which there are 1,168 locations, includes sites across all areas of Great Britain – including: 66 in Scotland, 83 in Yorkshire, 83 in central England, 91 in south London and 42 in south-mid Wales.
Bargain hunters will also be devastated to learn the discount retailer B&M closed yet another shop.
Punters may be disappointed to learn Wetherspoons has shut down 34 pubs in the last 18 months and has plans to close dozens more.
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For more information, The Sun has compiled a full list of major high street shops closing, including Tesco, Clarks and M&S.
