Scotland's high street has faced a turbulent year in 2026, with a wave of closures affecting major retailers, banks, and restaurants. For every new opening, several established names have shut their doors, continuing a trend that has become increasingly common in recent years.
This year alone, the Scottish high street has bid farewell to select stores from major retailers including Poundland, M&S, and the Bank of Scotland. Some brands have disappeared completely, such as Beefeater and Brewers Fayre pubs, Millets, and The Original Factory Shop.
Reasons Behind the Decline
Numerous reasons have been cited for the declining high street, including a reduction in footfall and changing consumer spending habits post-Covid, alongside turbulent economic conditions that include rising costs and soaring inflation. With so many closures, it can be hard to keep track of them all, so the Daily Record has compiled a list of all major retailers that have made and announced closures for 2026.
Banks and Charities
St Andrews Hospice, a charity firm specialising in palliative care across Scotland, closed its Hamilton outlet on September 3. An announcement on social media said the decision was "essential" due to "a number of significant issues with the property over the last few years."
Bank of Scotland has made a wave of closures this year, confirming 12 branches would be closed by the end of 2026. So far, 10 have closed, with the final two closing this month - Hawick on October 7 and Grangemouth on October 8.
Retail Chains and Restaurants
Leading Labels, a clothing chain offering discounted premium brands, entered liquidation earlier this year following a decline in sales post-Covid. The store in Balloch is now permanently closed, while its final store in Cumbernauld is reportedly still open.
Beefeater and Brewers Fayre pub chains have completely disappeared, alongside sister chains Table Table, Cookhouse+, and Bar + Block. Parent firm Whitbread PLC announced cost-cutting measures to exit the restaurant industry entirely, with outlets being converted into Premier Inn rooms or sold off, resulting in hundreds of closures and the loss of 3,800 jobs.
Radley, famed for its luxury handbags, closed all of its final stores in August, with branches in Livingston's Designer Outlet and Glasgow's Buchanan Galleries shuttering. The move followed the company being rescued from administration by Poundland owners Gordon Brothers in a pre-pack deal that only included the brand name and intellectual property, leading to the loss of 42 jobs.
TG Jones, despite only recently being rebranded from WHSmith in 2025, has made closures as part of a restructuring announced earlier this year. This includes Stirling, Fort William, Kilmarnock, and Ayr, with St Andrews and Galashiels set for early 2027.
Poundland has closed two Scottish sites this year: Kilmarnock, Inverurie, and Edinburgh's West Retail Park. These closures were not part of owner Gordon Brothers' massive restructuring that concluded this year, but were down to leases expiring.
Sapporo Teppanyaki, located in Glasgow's Merchant City, ceased trading on September 6, citing a "combination of challenging economic conditions and the pressures facing households has changed the way people are spending."
Millets' final store in Scotland, on Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street, was spotted running a clearance sale earlier this year, with confirmation it is now permanently closed. No reason was provided.
Marks & Spencer's Dunblane Food Hall was included on the list of 11 cafes to be closed as part of a £300 million store rotation programme, officially closing mid-April. The retailer's Food Hall in Stoneywood, Aberdeen, closed on September 15.
Las Iguanas closed its Glasgow branch on 16-20 West Nile Street on August 2, after 12 years of trading. Magnet Kitchens closed its showroom in Stirling earlier this year as part of a major restructuring, with 15 "underperforming" stores included, the majority located south of the border.
Fashion and Accessories
Quiz Clothing, founded in Glasgow, plunged into administration twice this year. After closing a third of its estate at the beginning of 2026, leaving just 11 in Scotland, the final stores were completely shuttered by June, marking the end of the chain's 30 years on the high street.
Claire's Accessories closed all its stores by April 2026, leading to the closure of 15 Scottish sites and the loss of 1,300 jobs overall. However, new owner French entrepreneur Julian Jarjoura has planned 50 new stores for the future.
The Original Factory Shop closed all 29 Scottish stores this year, experiencing challenging trading conditions driven by rising costs, fewer shoppers, and government policies which led to "significant increases" in staff costs.
Pizza Hut confirmed to the Daily Record that its Glasgow Fort branch permanently closed on April 11, due to a "landlord-led decision." Cancer Research closed nine stores in Scotland by May 2026, including Aberdeen, Airdrie, Clydebank, and Falkirk, as part of a restructuring downsizing its estate by 190 shops over the next two years.
River Island closed four Scottish locations - Perth, Kilmarnock, Kirkcaldy, and Falkirk - by January 2026, claiming these stores "don't align with customers' needs." TGI Fridays closed two Scottish branches in Aberdeen and Edinburgh following its collapse into administration, although it was rescued in a deal that saved its remaining 33 locations.
Flannels' flagship store in Scotland, at the Silverburn Shopping Centre, was closed in March after 11 years of trading. It was the firm's first ever store in the country and was owned by billionaire Mike Ashley's Frasers Group.
