A MAJOR discount supermarket is to close another store following the loss of 20 branches and shoppers have been left devastated.
Iceland, which has more than 900 stores in the UK, is set to close its branch in Rugby Central Shopping centre in a matter of weeks.
1
A sign has appeared in the window informing shoppers that the site will shut on February 24 and Iceland confirmed the closure to The Sun.
It reads: “Sorry we’re closing. This store is permanently closing from 4pm on Saturday, February 24.”
Locals who rely on the store have taken to social media to share their sadness over the closure.
One Facebook user said: “Things are NOT getting better, are they?”
READ MORE IN MONEY
Another cried: “Horrendous – Iceland is closing in the Rugby Cenrte in February
“First Wilko now this, there will be no stores left at this rate!”
While a third wrote: “It’s a shame. It’s just going to be a ghost town.”
And a fourth added: “There will be no reason to go into the town centre one it’s gone.”
Most read in Money
The impending closure of he Rugby store follows Iceland’s decision to close the branch in the Rosemary Centre in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire on January 13.
It brings the total number of Iceland stores that have closed in the last year to 20.
The full list of stores that shut down is as follows:
- Mill Lane, Bromsgrove – February
- Chineham Shopping Centre, Basingstoke – February
- White Rose Centre, Rhyl – March
- South Street, Newport, Isle of Wight – March
- St Catherine’s Place, Bedminster, Bristol – March
- Deiniol Centre, Bangor – March
- Newport – April
- Berwick – April
- Hexham – April
- Flint, Wales – May
- Beccles, Suffolk – June
- St David’s Place, Swansea – July
- Fife – August 12
- Fratton – August 26
- Llanelli – September 2
- Crewe – September 16
- Grange Road, Birkenhead – September 16
- Trinity Road, Huddersfield – October 28
- Fulford Road branch in York – October 28
- Rosemary Centre in Mansfield – January 13
Plus, Iceland is set to close its branch in Portswood Road, Southampton, on Saturday, March 2.
This would bring the total number of closures to 22.
It’s not clear whether more branches will follow suit later in the year.
Typically, though, Iceland opens more than 20 new stores each year, with 24 new stores opened in the past year.
More high street closures
Several high street retailers face closures due to rising costs and some are also still taking a hit from plummeting sales since the coronavirus pandemic.
The high street has been hit hard as shoppers turn to online retail, while high inflation last year saw households’ budgets squeezed.
That, combined with high wage and energy costs, saw many forced to close store doors.
In Rugby alone, a number of recognisable shops have disappeared in recent months.
Game announced it was shutting its branch in the town, but an exact date is yet to be confirmed.
Plus, B&M closed its shop in Rugby at Clock Towers shopping centre in November 2021.
Across the UK, a number of other retailers are set to close before the end of the month too, including Boots, Co-op, Clintons and HMV.
It comes after figures from the Centre of Retail Research said over 10,000 shops closed for the last time in 2023, with almost 120,000 jobs lost in the sector.
The latest Red Flag Alert report from insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor also found 47,477 firms were in critical financial distress in the final three months of last year.
This is up 25.9% on the previous three months and marks the second quarter in a row where critical financial distress has grown by around a quarter.
But a number of retailers have managed to buck the trend and expand their portfolios.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Poundland and B&M have both announced major plans to grow their number of stores in recent months.
Meanwhile, Asda has said it is on track to have 1,000 stores across the UK and Northern Ireland by March 2024.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories.
