A MAJOR shoe shop with 120 stores has abruptly closed another one of its shoppers as shoppers cry that “the town centre is dead”.
Schuh has pulled down the shutters on its site in The Parade Shopping Centre in Swindon.
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The Sun has approached the footwear retailer for comment and to confirm the date that the branch closed.
The site now appears “closed” on Schuh’s store locator tool.
Shoppers have reacted online to the news that the store has closed.
One customer said: “Another one bites the dust.
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“We don’t even have the excitement of a coffee shop or a vape shop now. It will just remain closed.”
Another added: “The town centre is dead.”
While a third wrote: “This isn’t just a problem here, it’s a problem across the country. I think online shopping is the reason.”
Earlier this month, Schuh suddenly closed its branch in the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Inverness.
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A notice to customers appeared on the door informing them of the closure, according to local news reports.
It read: “We are sorry to say Schuh Eastgate is now closed.
“Our new store is now located at Inverness Retail Park. Look forward to seeing you there.”
Schuh has around 120 establishments in the UK, with London leading the way, followed by Glasgow and then Sheffield.
The first store opened in 1991 in Edinburgh.
Schuh specialises in selling branded footwear, from the likes of Uggs and Doc Martens, all the way to Nike and Adidas.
Which other retailers are closing stores?
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 high street 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.
Boots revealed it would be closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.
Next Home is set to pull down the shutters on its branch at the Crescent Link Retail Park in Derry, Northern Ireland, next year.
Jack Wills in Worcester announced it will be closing down for good on January 30.
In fact, several other high street retailers are set to close a total of 10 stores just between now and the end of the month as shoppers cry of “another sad loss”.
Plus, it’s not just shops either, a total of 189 bank branches will be shutting their doors this year.
And, the hospitality sector has also been hit, seeing pubs like Wetherspoons and restaurants like Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito shut their doors.
Meanwhile, Body Shop fans have shared their dismay after the retailer announced it is closing down a major service within weeks.
And elsewhere, a major homeware and fashion retailer with hundreds of UK stores has slashed prices on over 700 products as inflation eases.
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