River Island and Primark are among the major retailers closing stores in January 2026, as the UK high street continues to struggle. According to the Centre for Retail Research, 54 retailers went bust last year, resulting in the loss of 3,080 stores and 30,153 jobs.
River Island will close at least 27 stores this month as part of a major restructure that previously announced 33 closures. Branches in Brighton, Edinburgh Princes Street, Great Yarmouth, and Stockton-on-Tees closed in late 2025, while Norwich and Workington are still awaiting closure dates.
Primark closed its Dartford store on January 3, its first closure in over a decade, due to the building requiring extensive repairs. Philippa Nibbs, Primark's director of sales for UK South and South East, said the decision was informed by the repair work needed and the proximity to two other Primark stores, making it unviable. Over half of the staff will move to nearby stores.
Poundland is set to close 12 shops in January as part of a restructure approved by the High Court, following the closure of 57 stores by September 2025 after its sale to investment firm Gordon Brothers for £1.
Lloyds Banking Group will close 34 branches this month, including 17 Lloyds, eight Halifax, and nine Bank of Scotland sites, citing the shift to online banking. This comes as ONS data showed retail sales volumes dipped by 0.1% in November.
