Major high street retailer with 1,100 branches to shut ANOTHER two shops following string of closures
A MAJOR retailer with 1,100 branches is set to permanently shut two more shops following a string of other closures.
WHSmith, the beloved British retailer known for its books, magazines, and stationery, has confirmed it is axing two more stores.
The decision has sparked outrage among loyal customers and raised further concern about the future of Britain’s high streets.
A branch in Mere Street, Diss, is the latest casualty, with a social media post confirming it closed down yesterday.
The company blamed this particular closure on the forthcoming lease expiry, stating that it was “no longer sustainable” to keep the branch open.
A spokesperson for WHSmith said: “We are disappointed to be losing our presence in Diss and would like to thank our customers for their support.
“We are extremely grateful for the commitment of our in-store colleagues, whom we will support during this transition and redeploy to nearby stores where possible.”
Locals took to Facebook to share their sadness.
One said: “Sad to see another store go,” while another said: “Another great loss.”
A third added: “I used to go every week to get my magazines, so sad to lose this gem”.
It’s a similar story in Newport, where the city’s WHSmith branch on Commercial Street will close its doors in April.
Shoppers have already noticed the big yellow clearance sale signs plastered across the windows, offering 30% off books and stationery as the store prepares for its final days.
Devastated locals have voiced their frustrations online.
One wrote: “WHSmith is closing, and my first thoughts are for those losing their jobs. I hate shopping online, but it’s becoming my only option.”
Another said: “There’ll be nowhere to buy decent pens and pencils now. The town is disappearing.”
A third added: “Its disgusting what online shopping is doing to our town centre, there’s nowhere to shop anymore”.
MORE CLOSURES
The closures in Diss and Newport are part of a wider trend for WHSmith, which has been cutting costs and shutting stores across the UK.
The retailer confirmed that its Haverhill branch on High Street will close on April 26, 2025 due to its lease expiring.
The situation in Bournemouth is similar, with two stores set to shut down in the coming weeks.
The Old Christchurch Road branch will close on Saturday, January 18, followed by the Winton branch on February 15.
Last year, the Boscombe store also closed, leaving locals to describe the once-bustling town centre as “a ghost town.”
WHSmith, which has been a high street staple for decades, has closed at least 10 stores in the past two years, including locations in Manchester, Bicester, Somerset, and Sale.
Despite the closures, the company insists it remains focused on growth.
In 2024, WHSmith opened 110 new shops, with 15 in the UK and over 50 in the US, mainly in airports, railway stations, and hospitals.
It has also partnered with Toys R Us, introducing concessions in some UK stores.
However, the company is under pressure to save costs, with a reported 4% drop in sales leading to plans to cut up to £10 million in expenses.
For many, the closures signal the slow death of the British high street, leaving communities without the familiar stores they’ve relied on for decades.
As WHSmith navigates this transitional phase, its legacy as a staple of British high streets remains at risk, and communities continue to grapple with the loss of these local landmarks.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”