SHOPPERS claim their town has hit “rock-bottom” as a major discounter with dozens of branches gears up to close one of its sites.
Bargain Buys, owned by the Poundstretcher chain, is set to shut its store in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
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But it’s not all bad news as the branch is just closing for a refurbishment, a member of staff revealed.
It is not clear at this stage when exactly the branch will shut and when it will reopen.
Bargain Buys declined to comment when asked what date the branch is closing.
News the “awesome” Trowbridge branch will close, even temporarily, has been met with devastation from shoppers and locals.
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One said: “Trowbridge town centre has now reached rock-bottom, they may as well pull the plug on it now.
Meanwhile, a second added: “They can’t close down!
“They will miss the hundreds if not thousands of potential customers that will be using the new pedestrian paths the council are currently installing at great cost…Oh dear how sad.”
The Bargain Buys branch in Trowbridge is not the first from the chain to announce it will close its doors.
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The shop in Northfield Retail Park, Kettering, will pull down its shutters in early 2024 and be replaced with a Pure Gym.
Pure Gym confirmed it was taking over the site from Bargain Buys, however it did not reveal the exact date it will open.
A spokesperson for the chain added it was “excited” to be opening another branch in the town.
Meanwhile, a number of other discount brands have closed stores in recent months.
B&M has closed 10 stores since February last year, including in Bristol, Bolton and Newport, Wales.
Meanwhile, Quality Save, owned by TJ Morris, pulled down the shutters of its Chorley store in October.
Poundstretcher also closed 13 branches in 2023, including in Romford, Grantham and Grimsby.
It comes as the high street takes a hit as shoppers increasingly turn to online retail and away from physical branches.
High energy and wage costs have seen businesses struggling too, while shoppers budgets have been squeezed due to high inflation.
It has seen notable brands such as Wilko and Paperchase fall into administration in 2023.
Meanwhile, pharmacy giant Boots said in June last year it would be consolidating its portfolio of stores from 2,200 in 1,900.
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That said, some retailers, including B&M and Poundland, have been looking to expand portfolios.
Asda also plans to open 21 new locations before the end of the month as well.
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