Major UK retailers are set to close dozens of stores this summer, adding to the 10,500 shops that permanently shut in 2023. According to the Centre for Retail Research, the sector lost 119,000 jobs last year, with a further 1,846 closures and 23,982 job losses in the first half of 2024 alone. High rents and restructuring plans have hit names such as Marks and Spencer, WHSmith, Boots, Wetherspoon, and Tesco.
Marks and Spencer will close its 33-year-old store in Redhill, Surrey, on August 17 as part of a major reshuffle of its UK sites. WHSmith is shutting its Stanley Square store in Cheshire on September 14. Wetherspoon has earmarked 36 pubs for closure, with six branches currently under offer, including the Jolly Sailor in Bristol and The Regent in Kirkby in Ashfield.
Tesco will cease operations at its superstore in Chippenham, Wiltshire, on August 15, though a smaller Express site is opening nearby. Wickes is closing its Moore Street branch in Sheffield on August 16, following a recent closure in Bristol. The Card Factory is shutting two branches in August: one in Bexhill town centre on August 4 and another at Castlepoint shopping centre in Bournemouth on August 11.
Boots has announced plans to shutter 300 pharmacy outlets across the UK by summer 2024 to save £618 million. Already 581 Boots stores have closed, with another 69 set to follow by the end of summer. CEO Tim Wentworth cited a difficult operating environment and pressures on the US consumer as factors.
