UK excessive streets are struggling, with clients transferring on-line and excessive rents and charges which means it’s more and more arduous to maintain retailers open. A raft of companies have introduced closures, together with the well-known model WHSmith and Hobbycraft. In March, the previous introduced that’s had agreed to promote its excessive avenue chain to Modella Capital in a £76million deal. This contains ultimately rebranding most of its shops as TG Jones. WH Smith PLC now goals to create a “pure play global travel retailer”, with the group’s chief government, Carl Cowling, saying it’ll turn out to be the main world retailer.
The excessive avenue enterprise will “operate for a short transitional period under the WHSmith brand whilst the business rebrands as TGJones”. Hobbycraft, in the meantime, has introduced plans to shut at the very least 9 of its shops, with 18 extra in danger as its mum or dad firm undergoes a radical restructuring. Modella Capital is planning an overhaul after shopping for the retailer in August 2024.
Below are full lists of which shops are set to shut.
WHSmith shops set to shut
- Halstead, Essex – April 12
- Woolwich, London – April 12
- Halesowen, West Midlands – April 19
- Diss, Norfolk – April 19
- Newport, Wales – April 19
- Haverhill, Suffolk – April 26
- Oldham, Greater Manchester – May 3
- Stockton, County Durham – May 17
- West Mall, Frenchgate Centre, Doncaster – May 31
- Bedford, Bedfordshire – July 5
- Orpington, Greater London – no date given but
Hobbycraft shops set to shut
- Bagshot, Surrey
- Basildon, Essex
- Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
- Bristol: Imperial Retail Park
- Canterbury, Kent
- Cirencester, Gloucestershire
- Dunstable, Bedfordshire
- Epping Forest, Essex
- Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex
These WHSmith shops have already shut their doorways:
- Bournemouth Old Christchurch Road, Dorset – January 18
- Luton, Bedfordshire – January 18
- March, Cambridgeshire – January 25
- Basingstoke, Hampshire – February 1
- Newtown, Powys – February 15
- Winton department in Bournemouth, Dorset – February 15
- Rhyl, Denbighshire – February 15
- Bolton, Greater Manchester – February
- Accrington, Lancashire – March 15
- Alfreton, Derbyshire – January, 2024
- Ramsgate, Kent – January, 2024
- Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland – February, 2024
- Nantwich, South Cheshire – February, 2024
- Margate, Kent – April 20, 2024
- Bridgwater – September 2024
- Sale, Manchester – September 2024
- Bournemouth – October, 2024
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2045365/full-list-whsmith-hobbycraft-shops-closing