A MAJOR outdoor retailer will shut one of its branches for the last time today as more iconic shops continue to disappear across the UK.
Regatta announced late last month that it would close its store at Chatham’s Dockside Outlet Centre, Kent.
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For weeks the infamous “Closing Down Sale” signs could be seen on the shop front windows.
A spokesperson for the retailer told The Sun: “Regatta did not take the decision to close the store at Chatham’s Dockside Outlet Centre lightly.
“The closure comes following challenging footfall in the centre and to coincide with the store lease coming to an end.”
Shoppers and residents are gutted at the news of another store closing down and took to Facebook to voice their disappointment.
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One shopper wrote: “Many more units will be closing soon.
While another added: “There won’t be anything left here soon.”
A third commented: “Another one bites the dust.”
Regatta which specialises in selling outdoor items has many reputable branches across the UK.
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The closure of the branch in Kent comes after multiple outdoor retailers including Go Outdoors and Trespass closed their stores last month.
With high inflation and soaring energy prices, the UK’s high streets and iconic shops are shutting more frequently than ever.
The Centre for Retail Research recently revealed that over 10,000 shops and almost 120,000 retail jobs were lost in 2023.
Last Christmas saw the biggest drop in sales for the retail sector since January 2021, when the country was still under Covid-19 restrictions.
These drops in sales have hit Britain’s retailers hard, a trend made worse with shoppers increasingly turning to online shopping.
All the retailers shutting shops in February
Boots is set to shut 300 shops over the next year.
The pharmacy chain closed its branch in Hough Lane, Leyland on February 2.
The store on Wood Street in Swindon will close for the final time on Friday, February 9.
Boots in Clifton, York will shut on Saturday, February 17.
Fenwick’s iconic Bond Street store has its doors today, February 3.
Lidl’s store in Paignton, Devon will shut next month after 25years.
The store in the Victoria Centre will shut for good tomorrow, February 4, after long speculation about its future.
Lidl’s Thornaby store in Stockton-on-Tees will be closing on February 29.
Costa’s Chiswick High Road store is set to close by February 6.
The coffee chain has closed a dozen sites over the past year.
WHSmith’s store in Union Street, Aberdeen city centre will pull down the shutters on February 17.
- Chain Reaction
The outdoor sports store will be closing its only store in Belfast this month.
Aldi on Halbeath Road, Dunfermline plans to shut its door on Sunday, February 18 to allow for renovations.
The renovations are expected to be finished for at least another three months.
- Jack Wills
Jack Wills’ branch in Worcester city centre will close for the last time this month.
Matalan in The Core Shopping Centre on The Headrow will close on February 24.
The closure is due to plans to demolish the shopping centre, according to local news reports.
Age UK will close the doors of its Furniture and More store in Dereham’s Yaxham Road for good in February.
