SHOPPERS have been left baffled after a major retailer with 66 branches is set to close a store in weeks.
The retail giant has caused a huge stir after rolling the shutters of one of its branches in Herefordshire.
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Cosmetics giant L’Occitane En Provence is shutting the doors of the store in Hereford’s Old Market.
Staff have confirmed that the shop is shutting next month on Saturday, March 9.
The high end store opened for the first time in 2014 with the launch of the shopping centre.
Hundreds of customers flocked to the store to nab skincare, bath and hair products.
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But beauty lovers will now have to take their shopping basket elsewhere.
The sudden closure has left many shoppers disappointed as it follows a wave of stores shutting at the Old Market.
Locals now fear the move will leave their beloved shopping centre deserted.
Many took to social media to vent their frustrations.
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One slammed: “It will probably be replaced by a nail salon, or a hairdressers, or a barbers, or another coffee shop?
“Seriously, can we have something decent and not just empty shops?”
But others said the “expensive” beauty brand was too posh for their town.
Another fumed: “Unfortunately people can’t afford to shop in places like this nowadays.”
“Surprised it has lasted this long.”
A third penned: “The real problem is that people don’t have the spare cash to spend in ‘niche’ and gimmicky shops that nobody really needs.
“Hereford needs to attract investment.”
L’Occitane En Provence has been contacted for comment.
Why are high street stores closing?
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 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.
British retailers saw the amount of goods they sold drop last month at its fastest rate in three years as under-pressure families shifted part of their Christmas shop to earlier in the year.
Sales volumes dipped by 3.2% in December, data from the Office for National Statistics suggests, down from a rise of 1.4% a month before.
Several big-name chains are pulling down the shutters for the final time this month.
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WhSmith in Oban, Scotland, will close for good on February 17.
While Boots has revealed it is closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.
What are my rights if a company I’ve ordered from goes bust or stops trading?
According to Citizen Advice, you might end up without the item you paid for or with unfinished work if a company or trader stops trading or goes out of business.
There are several ways to try to get your money back or get the work done.
But, there’s no guarantee you’ll get what you paid for.
You should call the company, visit their office or shop, or write to them to find out what’s happening.
Explain what you’ve paid for and ask for the item you bought or a refund.
If you can’t get hold of a company or want to confirm that they’ve gone out of business you can search for their name on:
- the Companies House website if they’re a limited company (with the letters ‘Ltd’ or ‘Plc’ after their name)
- the Insolvency Register if they’re an individual (a sole trader) or a partnership – search both the name of the person and their trading name
It can take a few weeks for information to appear on these websites.
