AN iconic shoe shop has announced that it will close another shop in days.
Clarks is closing its doors to customers at its Grimsby store amid a wave of closures, it has confirmed.
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The shoe retailer will be shutting the site in the Freshney Place shopping centre at the end of October.
Taking to social media, angry locals have reacted to the news.
One wrote: “Surely this cannot be allowed to happen!”
Another said: “Oh great!! Another shop I will have to travel to shop in.”
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A third commented: “Unbelievable another shop going.”
While a fourth wrote: “I’m gutted about this one.”
And another shopper said: “It is sad and another blow to the town in a way.”
Shoppers are being directed to the next closest branches in Louth, Scunthorpe and Hull.
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A spokesperson for Clarks told The Sun: “Clarks confirms its store at the Freshney Place Shopping Centre, Grimsby, will close at the end of October 2023.
“We have a strong duty of care to all our employees, and we are working closely with the store team as they go through a period of consultation.”
Customers can continue to shop from our full range of products online and at our nearby Clarks stores in Louth and Hull.”
The latest comes following three earlier closures, as well as plans for four more to pull down the shutters before the end of the year.
The Clarks shop in Dundee’s Murraygate previously shut in July.
This was followed by the branch in Fareham shopping centre on August 5.
The chain also shut the doors for the final time at its High Street Inverness site in September.
Most recently, the chain confirmed it’ll shut its store located in Newport Retail Park in Spytty for good in November.
It will also shut its branch in High Street in Newcastle under Lyme by the end of 2023.
The Clarks store at the Riverside retail park in Norwich currently has a huge closing down sale with 50% off some items and will close in November, according to local news reports.
It’ll also shut in Westwood Cross Shopping Centre in Kent in mid-November.
Here is the full list of closures announced so far:
- Dundee – July 25
- Fareham Shopping Centre – August 5
- High Street Inverness – end of September
- Westwood Cross Shopping – mid November
- Newport Retail Park – mid November
- Riverside Retail Park store in Norwich – November
- High Street in Newcastle under Lyme – by end of 2023
Prior to this, it closed the doors on two stores in Kent in Ashford and Gillingham at the end of 2022.
The popular footwear chain was founded in 1825 and operated across over 1,400 stores and franchises internationally at its peak.
But as of July 2023, the brand had just 320 stores.
Clarks brought in management consultants McKinsey & Co to help with restructuring plans after posting a £82.9million post-tax loss in 2019.
It was then rescued from the brink of collapse with a £100million investment deal by private equity firm LionRock Capital.
A Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) was agreed which saw the Clarks family lose overall control of the company.
A CVA allows firms that have run out of cash to look at ways to save the business, such as reducing rent rates with landlords.
Companies often agree to a CVA to avoid insolvency, which can lead to closures or the whole business going bust.
More than 50 stores were set to close following this announcement in November 2020 – but dozens more have shut since then.
All is not lost for shoppers though, as the retailer has also relocated and opened new shops this year.
The brand opened a new store on East Street in Taunton in April following the closure of its original high street store.
Clarks also opened up a new store in Newcastle’s Eldon Square shopping centre on May 14.
Meanwhile, fellow footwear retailer Shoezone is pulling down the shutters on another store in its latest round of closures.
Over the past few months hundreds of high street shops and restaurants have closed, with 10 more to shut this week alone.
Brands including M&S, Byron, Frankie & Benny’s and Boots will all be pulling down the shutters on branches.
It comes following a difficult time for businesses struggling to bounce back after Covid.
That combined with rising energy bills means its been a tricky period for retailers.
With costs high for shoppers too it means that people have been cutting back on non-essentials and prices continue to skyrocket.
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Meanwhile, three more Boots stores are set to pull the shutters down for the final time in October.
Plus, House of Fraser is pulling down the shutters on yet another one of its branches this month.
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