A wave of high street closures is sweeping across the UK, with major retailers, banks, and supermarkets shutting their doors. Among those affected are fashion brand Phase Eight, charity shop British Heart Foundation, supermarket Morrisons, and banking giants Lloyds and NatWest. These closures are putting hundreds of jobs at risk and reshaping the British retail landscape.
Phase Eight and British Heart Foundation Closures
TFG, the owner of Phase Eight, could shut as many as 400 stores. The company has already announced plans to close more than 100 underperforming outlets as part of a sweeping restructuring programme. The brand has shut its St Andrews outlet, following previous closures in Dundee and Perth.
The British Heart Foundation has announced plans to close 150 of its stores. The first 90 branches are expected to shut by March 2027, with the remaining closures by March 2028. Bosses cited an "exceptionally challenging trading environment" but vowed to sustain their "groundbreaking research." The charity will continue selling items online, including via their official eBay page.
Morrisons Daily Store Closures
Morrisons has announced the closure of seven stores, with 93 more to follow. The supermarket giant, which operates over 2,200 stores across the UK, is pulling down the shutters on dozens of Morrisons Daily branches. These stores were originally taken on as part of a £190 million rescue deal for McColl's in 2022. The company said the stores were loss-making despite efforts to boost trading. A spokesperson shared that affected employees may get alternative roles. A full list of closures is yet to be released, but seven Yorkshire stores have been confirmed:
- Moorcroft Road, Woodthorpe, York
- Queen Street, Recar
- Zetland Road, Loftus
- Esk Close, Guisborough
- High Street, Stokesley
- Fairfax Avenue, Hull
- Middle Street, South Driffield
Bank Branch Closures
Lloyds Banking Group is set to shut 79 more branches, including 31 Lloyds Bank branches and 48 Halifax sites. This adds to the 95 branch closures already announced by the banking giant earlier this year. NatWest Group will permanently close 18 high street branches across the UK, including 12 NatWest locations in England and Wales and six Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) branches in Scotland.
Halifax Branch Closures
Ashford (Kent), Basingstoke, Birmingham - Kings Heath, Boston, Bury St Edmunds, Cannock, Canterbury, Clacton-on-Sea, Cleveleys, Corby, Durham, Ealing Broadway, Gateshead, Gravesend, Guildford, Hemel Hempstead, Hereford, High Wycombe, Ilford, King's Lynn, Leamington Spa, Leigh, Lichfield, Llandudno, Llanelli, London - Bethnal Green, London - Camden Town, London - Dalston, London - Tottenham, Lowestoft, Manchester - Cheetham Hill, Milton Keynes, Newark-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Finchley, Ramsgate, Redcar, Rotherham, Salisbury, Sheffield - Hillsborough, Southend-on-Sea, Taunton, Truro, Waterlooville, Wellingborough, Weston-super-Mare, Weymouth, Willenhall, Wimbledon, Woking.
Lloyds Branch Closures
Accrington, Barnsley, Birmingham - Handsworth, Blackpool, Braintree, Bristol - Knowle, Carlisle, Chatham, Chelmsford, Chesterfield, City of London - Whitechapel High Street, Devizes, Harrogate, Harrow, Ilkeston, Kirkby, Leicester - Melton Road, Leicester - Wigston, Liverpool - Huyton (two branches), Nottingham - Arnold, Rochdale, South Shields, Sheffield, St Helens, Wakefield, Wallsend, Widnes, Worksop.
NatWest and RBS Closures
NatWest closures: Boston (10 Market Place), Godalming (77 High Street), Grays (17 High Street), Halifax (1 Waterhouse Street), Herne Bay (140 High Street), London - Fulham Broadway (45 Fulham Broadway), London - Spitalfields (216 Bishopsgate), London - Sydenham (61 Sydenham Road), London - West End (246-250 Regent Street), Ashton Gate Bristol (North Street), Llanelli (33 Stepney Street), Port Talbot (35-37 Station Road). RBS closures in Scotland: Arbroath (Brothock Bridge), Biggar (104 High Street), Castle Douglas (133 King Street), Giffnock (158A Fenwick Road), Milngavie (24 Douglas Street), Motherwell (62 Hamilton Road).
