Several well-known high street chains are set to close stores over the month of March.
The British high street has suffered over the last few years due to reduced footfall and higher costs. This has forced many retailers to tighten their belts, and in many cases, has forced the closure of brick-and-mortar sites. However, it is always important to note that some retailers close sites for other business reasons and not because they are struggling financially.
The Centre for Retail Research predicts that 17,349 shops will close in 2025, marking a sharp increase from the 13,479 closures recorded last year. The hike in closures is expected because of the government’s change to business National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and the rise in national minimum wage coming into effect in April. Here we have listed all of the retailers with sites pulling down shutters over the coming few weeks.
Is a local store on your high street closing in March? let us know by emailing: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
Trespass
The retailer Trespass is set to shut its Highcross shopping centre branch in Leicester on March 31 after launching a closing sale earlier this month. The sale saw discounts of up to 60%, and bright yellow signs reading “everything must go” were placed in the windows.
The outdoor clothing retailer has not confirmed the reason behind the closure, and it is uncertain what will happen to staff working at the site. The move has not come as a surprise to locals online, with some joing that the branch has been “on its way out” for the last decade. One Facebook post read: “They’ve been having closing down sales for at least 10 years.” In response, another said: “Far longer than 10 years! I would wager all of their shops have been having closing down sales since they were founded in 1981.”
Someone else added: “Is it still closing down? I left Leicester in 2015, and I’m sure it had signs up then.” According to its website, Trespass has around 300 stores worldwide, with the majority of those stores based in the UK.
New Look
The high street fashion chain New Look has closed a number of branches this year and is set to continue this trend in the coming month. The retailer will be closing St Austell store in Cornwall will close on March 4, followed by its Team Valley Retail World branch in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, on March 9.
The closures come after it was reported that the retailer was looking to “accelerate future store closures” when their leases expire following the changes announced in last year’s Autumn Budget. The Times reported that 91 stores would be affected – which is around a quarter of its 364 UK stores. If this is the case, 8,000 New Look workers would be impacted.
New Look did not confirm this report at the time. However, last week, it announced that it was winding up its business in the Republic of Ireland. This move was set to close 26 stores in the republic impacting around 347 of its workforce.
WHSmith
WHSmith is another well-known brand closing stores next month, with its branch in Accrington, Lancashire, set to shut for good on March 15. The reason for the closure is down to the lease expiring. However, the retailer has made headlines over the last few months after announcing it planned to offload its high street estate to focus on its travel business of shops in airports and train stations. WHSmith has 1,100 stores across the UK, including over 520 high street shops. The stationery chain also has earmarked shops in Essex, West Midlands, Norfolk, Newport, and Suffolk for closure next month.
Scope
It’s not just major businesses affected by the decline in the high street but also charities, too, with Scope considering plans to close down 77 of its 138 shops. Last month, bosses at the charity said the “difficult” decision was being considered due lower footfall numbers and rising running costs.
Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said: “Despite our teams’ best efforts our shops are collectively now losing money when taking account of all of their costs. A number make strong profits but there are loss making shops too. We will be putting forward proposals to close some of our shops, in stages, over the next 18 months.”
Under the proposal, the first 41 shops could close by the end of March, with a further 31 shops potentially closing between April 1 and March 31, 2026. The final phase of five more shops would close when leases came up for renewal or when there is a break. Although it’s important to note that final decisions on these plans have not yet been confirmed.
Select Fashion
Last week, the fashion chain Select announced it was to close 35 of its high street stores over the coming few weeks. Of the 35, 12 closed in February, while a further two are earmarked to shut in March. The retailer’s Wellingborough site is set to close on March 15. Its Merthyr Tydfil branch will also be closing, although an exact date has not yet been confirmed.
The struggling retailer – which has 105 stores in the UK – collapsed into administration in 2019 and entered into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) last summer. This is a way businesses to renegotiate Select has been quietly closing sites over the past few years. This includes branches in Ipswich, Kent, Cwmbran and the Erith Riverside Shopping in London in 2024, and more recently, its shops in Kidderminster and Thornaby were permanently shut earlier this year.
Greggs
Greggs – although seemingly thriving according to its reports – is set to close down one of its stores in March. The bakery chain’s Cambridge branch on Fitzroy Street on March 31. Workers at the site will be relocated to other stores nearby. The closest one after the closure will be the chain’s branch in Station Square, opposite Cambridge railway station.
The closure is reportedly part of Greggs estate strategy, which will see the chain open more stores this year. Overall, Greggs has over 2,500 shops across the UK, including 500 with franchise partners such as petrol stations.
The Cambridge store is not the first Greggs shop to shut this year. A Greggs store in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, closed for good on January 18. According to the Bucks Free Press, the site closed due to a dispute over rent. On January 4, Gregg’s store on Foleshill Road in Coventry also shut for good.
Dobbies
The garden centre chain will be closing even more stores after shutting 16 last year as part of a restructuring plan which was launched last year. Under the plans, its Northampton branch is set to close on March 2. The branch is set to be taken over by British Garden Centres, which is a family-run business. Other Dobbies stores the business has taken over include Morpeth, Havant, Gosforth, Gloucester, Reading, and Rugby.
In a statement that was published in October, after announcing its intention to close stores, a spokesperson said: “Dobbies will operate 60 stores and continue to play a key role in the market, working constructively with stakeholders and suppliers, and having an active and committed role in the communities in which it’s based.” At its peak, Dobbies was the biggest garden centre operator in the UK and had up to 77 stores.
