Big-name businesses disappearing from UK high streets
Daniel Coughlin
16 November 2018
Britain's bricks and mortar meltdown
Notice an increase in boarded-up businesses, charity shops and chain restaurants on your local high street? A slew of famous names have announced a wave of closures in recent months. We take a look at the reasons behind this alarming trend, and reveal the major retailers, eateries, banks and other businesses that are downsizing their bricks and mortar presence and disappearing from a place near you.
Tightening belts
A perfect storm of slow wage growth, record levels of personal debt and the looming hike in interest rates means we are cutting back and spending less, especially on clothing, luxury items and eating out.
Skyrocketing overheads
On top of the slump in consumer spending, high street businesses are having to contend with soaring overheads, including steep rent rises and excessive business rates, not to mention issues that put people off venturing to the high street such as rising parking and public transport costs.
Online shift
Nevertheless, the number one factor behind this move away from the high street is the internet. An increasing number of people are opting to shop, order food and do their banking online, hitting high street businesses hard and contributing significantly to the downturn in footfall.
House of Fraser
House of Fraser has announced plans to close 35 of its 59 stores, including its flagship branch on London's Oxford Street, in early 2019. Despite the store's new owner Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley's attempts to negotiate lower rents with landlords to keep at least four of those stores open, the closures will go ahead, with 6,000 jobs at risk.
Marks & Spencer
Family favourite M&S is one of the most prominent casualties of the high street slump. The retail giant announced in May that it will close around 100 stores in 2018, with CEO Steve Rowe suggesting that that number could grow. The news comes following lacklustre Christmas sales in 2017 and a drop in sales since.
Carpetright
Carpetright has announced that it is to close 92 stores, with the loss of 300 jobs, as it looks to restructure its business. The furnishings chain, which has over 400 UK stores, has been struggling with falling sales, partly due to a dip in the number of people moving home and the squeeze on household finances, meaning fewer people are redecorating.
Prezzo & Chimichanga
One of several Italian casual dining chains in trouble, Prezzo has confirmed the closure of 94 restaurants as part of a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) to save the business. The 33 branches of Tex-Mex chain Chimichanga, which are owned by Prezzo, will also close.
New Look
Hot on the heels of M&S, fast fashion chain New Look announced that it will close 85 stores in the UK, after entering a CVA in March. Around 930 employees face redundancy as the company grapples with weaker consumer confidence, intense online competition and the possible implications of Brexit.
Jamie's Italian
After closing seven restaurants in 2017, a total of 12 branches of superstar chef Jamie Oliver's eponymous chain of Italian-themed restaurants closed this year as part of a CVA to rescue the ailing firm, which is struggling with rising Brexit-related costs and fewer customers.
Homebase
DIY chain Homebase is closing 42 stores at the end of this year and the beginning of 2019, amid slumping sales and the fallout from its disastrous takeover in 2016 by Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers.
Thomas Cook
Travel agencies are especially prone to the ravages of the high street slump, as well as fierce competition from the internet. In December 2017, Thomas Cook announced that it would be closing 50 shops – we simply prefer to book our holidays online nowadays.
Debenhams
Debenhams shut down two of its department stores earlier this year, Eltham in London and Farnborough, and is considering closing a further 50 stores over the next five years. The high street chain recorded a loss of £500 million in 2018, again citing competition with the internet as a major reason.
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Strada
Yet another Italian-style restaurant chain in dire straits, pizza and pasta joint Strada shut 11 outlets nationally, blaming the closures on rising costs and disappointing trading figures.
Whole Foods
The trendy American health food chain owned by Amazon recently closed two of its nine stores in the UK: its Cheltenham branch, and the store in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, the company's only outlet in Scotland. The health store is not out of the woods yet, as it saw a loss of £8.6 million following the closures.
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Byron
Posh burger chain Byron has agreed to close up to 20 of its outlets. As is the case with Jamie's Italian, Prezzo and other floundering businesses, the closures are part of a CVA to rescue the chain, which has seen profits fall away as a result of soaring costs and fewer diners.
Jacamo, SimplyBe & High and Mighty
The N Brown Group, the company behind the SimplyBe, Jacamo and High and Mighty brands, is considering closing all of its 20 stores, putting 270 jobs at risk, and has already closed a handful. It has set out plans to become an online-only retailer. Again, the move to online shopping and falling footfall, combined with rising overheads, have prompted the closures.
LloydsPharmacy
A fixture on many UK high streets, LloydsPharmacy has closed 78 of its stores nationwide since October 2017. Government cuts in pharmacy funding and surging business rates are fuelling the closures as the company downsizes to survive.
Mothercare
The maternity and children's clothing retailer is closing 60 stores by June 2019. This is an increase on the 50 closures the brand had previously announced, which Mothercare attributes to lack of investment.
Carluccio's
In June 2018, the high street Italian announced that it was closing 30 restaurants, nearly a third of the chain. This decision has been taken to tackle Carluccio's growing debts, after profits fell.
Carphone Warehouse
Dixons Carphone revealed that it would be closing 92 of its 700 Carphone Warehouse stores this year as a means to save the company. However, it's not all doom and gloom for the company as sales grew 2% in the UK last year.
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Eat.
The lunchtime food chain is going to close 10% of its 110 UK outlets. The plan is to focus on the better-performing branches, as well as to expand internationally.
Poundworld
In June Poundworld closed all 355 of its UK stores and cut 5,100 jobs after collapsing into administration. However, it is set to make a comeback now that Leeds property tycoon Manni Hussain has bought the chain, announcing plans to open 250 stores next year, a move that he believes will be profitable in a post-Brexit Britain. Hussain told The Grocer: "The only business that can survive on the high street, especially with Brexit coming, is something that is affordable to everyone."
Some good news
Thankfully, it's not all doom and gloom on the high street. Bakery chain Greggs, for instance, is reporting record profits and expanding aggressively throughout the country, while sports shops like JD Sports are booming on the back of the athleisure trend.
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