A LONG-STANDING charity retailer is to close its doors for the final time after 20 years.
St Nicholas Hospice Care in Brandon, Suffolk will close for good on Saturday, December 30.
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The charity shop on London Road has been a fixture in the town since 2003.
However, the charity said that after suffering a drop in profits it couldn’t afford to run the branch at a loss.
Local news outlet Suffolk News reports that Karen Fulcher, head of retail and catering at the charity said the decision to close the store was made after “careful consideration”.
She said: “Despite wonderful support from the community, unfortunately, the challenges posed by the current economic climate have made it increasingly difficult for us.”
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She added that the charity had an opportunity to come out of the lease next year, and due to a drop in profits “made the difficult decision to close.”
Ms Fulcher thanked the shop’s dedicated volunteers, staff, and customers for their kindness and said the charity would “remain committed” to supporting the community.
St Nicholas Hospice Care has nine shops across West Suffolk as well as an online eBay and Amazon shop.
The cost of living crisis, high inflation and energy costs are all taking their toll on retailers.
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Shops including Poundland, New Look and Homebase are among those pulling the shutters down on locations for the final time in December.
Many shoppers do not have the spare cash to splash on a shopping spree in their local high street, which has left retailers struggling.
Along with the rising fuel costs and expensive parking, it is often cheaper and easier for people to get what they need online.
The latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a record 345,000 businesses closed in 2022 – the highest on record since 2022.
More businesses are closing rather than opening for the first time in 12 years – the height of the global financial crisis – though these figures cover all types of company.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) this summer found the UK had lost 6,000 stores over a five-year period.
Other store closures coming in December
New Look
Clothing retailer New Look is shutting its shop in Shirley, Southampton, on December 3.
In October it closed its branch in Stratford-upon-Avon and in September another three branches closed for good.
Six New Look shops closed down across the UK in January and February.
Homebase
Homebase will be closing one of its stores in Banbury, Oxford.
The store on Southam Road is set to close its doors for the final time on December 3.
The retailer will also be pulling the shutters down on its shop at the O2 Centre on Finchley Road in London on December 10.
It also closed down one of its branches in Plymouth in November.
Lacoste
Lacoste is closing its Leicester branch in the Highcross Shopping Centre in the town on December 3.
The fashion brand Lacoste has 20 stores located across the UK.
Poundland
Bargain retailer Poundland is set to pull down the shutters on its store at the Chineham Shopping Centre near Basingstoke on December 31.
However, it has been popping up in some new locations recently due to its takeover of 71 ex-Wilko sites, including locations in Newcastle, Leeds and Leicester.
WHSmith
WHSmith is all set to close its Market Street store in Manchester on December, 2.
Its Bicester store also closed on August 30 and prior to this, its Newcastle-under-Lyme branch shut permanently in March.
Meanwhile, it is also set to shut its branch in Ramsgate, Kent, at the start of 2024.
