DOZENS of shops will close for good in March in another blow to the high street.
Iceland, Boots and Costa are among the retailers shutting sites in the coming weeks.
It comes as figures revealed that consumer confidence has stalled due to stubbornly high inflation, according to market research company GfK.
Households are tightening their purse strings as they face rising essential costs including mid-contract price rises for the likes of mobile and broadband and higher mortgage payments.
This means less people are heading out to the shops to spend putting retailers in a difficult position financially.
The last few years have hit the high street hard, with shoppers increasingly turning to online retail – a trend made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Centre for Retail Research recently revealed that over 10,000 shops and almost 120,000 retail jobs were lost in 2023.
High energy and wage costs have forced many businesses to shut up shop as well.
Plus, soaring inflation in 2022 and 2023 squeezed households’ budgets meaning they had less disposable income to spend on non-essentials.
Below, we reveal all the stores set to close for good in March.
Lidl welcomed customers into its branch in High Street, Hanham, Bristol, for the final time on March 1, after opening 26 years ago.
A spokesperson for the retailer said it was closing the Hanham branch as the site was too small to allow for a store extension.
News of the Hanham branch closure has been with devastation from locals, with one branding it their “go-to” shop.
But it’s not all bad news for the supermarket chain as it also has major expansion plans in the works.
In April last year, the retailer, which had 950 UK sites at the time, said it wanted to open hundreds of new locations across the UK.
It also set a new store target of 1,100 stores by the end of 2025, creating 4,000 jobs in the process.
In February, the discount supermarket revealed that it was looking to build 12 supermarkets in locations such as Birmingham, Manchester and Hull.
Iceland, which has more than 800 stores across the UK, will be closing two branches in March.
The supermarket is to close its branch in Speke, Liverpool on March 2 much to customers’ dismay.
Shoppers will now need to head to The Food Warehouse in Speke or surrounding stores in Halewood, Garston and Belle Vale for their frozen food shopping.
Locals took to Facebook to share their disappointment at the news.
One user said: “First Klopp now Iceland, whatever next?”
Another said: “So it begins.”
The supermarket has already announced several closures last year with more to come this year.
Iceland has also announced that it will close its Southampton store in March.
The supermarket, located on Portswood Road, will close for the final time on Saturday, March 2.
However, it’s not all bad news typically Iceland opens more than 20 new stores each year, with 24 new stores opened in the past year.
Shops, pubs and restaurants are all falling victim to the increasing cost of living, with high rents and bills making it impossible to survive.
Shoppers no longer have the cash to splash like they used to with many just managing to get by after paying for essentials.
Last year popular retailers such as Wilko fell into administration and vanished from the high street for good.
Fans were left devastated over the demise of the discounter, however, it does look like the retailer is making a comeback.
The Range snapped up the website and brand name last year and has since started to open up some new concept stores, much to the delight of fans.
Wilko stores have already opened in Plymouth, Exeter and Luton and opening dates of a further two locations have recently been revealed.
Meanwhile, it is not such good news for Body Shop fans as the iconic beauty retailer recently fell into administration and revealed it would be closing almost half of its 198 stores.
Seven branches have already closed with immediate effect but administrators for the high street stalwart said it is looking to “secure the brand’s future” with the restructure.
Troubled fashion brand Superdry is also looking at various “cost-saving options” after reports it is considering a major restructuring.
However, some retailers are bucking the trend and opening up in new locations.
Primark said it will open five new branches, and one is coming in just weeks.
The Works – a discount retailer specialised in crafts – is set to shut down their branch in Caernarfon, Wales on March 17.
But the chain reassured that their workers would be relocated to stores in Bangor and Llandudno following the closure.
A spokesperson for The Works said: “We can confirm that we will be closing our store in Caernarfon on 17th March.
“We have loved being part of the local community and apologise for any inconvenience caused by this closure.
The customers were “gutted” to learn the news as they fear the town will become “deserted”.
One person said: “Gutted to hear that The Works in Caernarfon is being closed down!
“It’s concept caters for all ages! Why are so many of our shops closing down? It’s becoming a ghost town.”
The Works has more than 550 stores nationwide.
The Sun exclusively revealed that The White Hart in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, will close on March 15 when it transfers to a new owner.
Reacting to the news on Facebook, one punter said: “It was always busy and right in the centre next to the bus station.
“I’ve no idea why this would be shut.”
Another said: “I don’t understand why it’s closing!”
A third pleased: “Please stay open.”
Plus, The Sir Norman Rae in Market Street, Shipley, West Yorkshire, will call last orders on March 24 after finding a buyer.
Wetherspoons is also set to close The Holland Tringham in in Streatham, London, on March 10.
However, the closure is only temporary, with pints set to be pulled again by April 30 after a period of renovations.
The chain – which has 827 pubs across the UK – warned in September 2022 that it was putting dozens of its pubs up for sale.
But despite the closures, the much-loved chain is still aiming to claim 1,000 venues.
Omniplex Cinemas is to close its movie theatre in Ipswich, Suffolk, on or before, March 24.
The cinema chain only took over the Buttermarket location from Empire Cinema in December but have already begun a consultation process with staff to close the site.
The business is Ireland’s largest cinema chain.
It opened four other locations across the UK last year, including in Birmingham and Sutton.
Omniplex owns 40 cinemas, with 20 cinemas in the Republic of Ireland, 15 cinemas in Northern Ireland and five on the UK mainland.
Boots is set to close nine sites for good in March.
The affected areas include Cornwall, Newcastle, Norwich, and York.
The move by health and beauty retailer Boots forms part of plans to close 300 sites.
But customers won’t be left short, because the locations that are being closed will have another Boots store nearby.
Here is the full list of upcoming closures and the dates they’ll be shutting down according to local news reports:
Writing on social media in reaction to the news, one shopper said: “Omg another one going…. God, I hope it’s going to be something useful.”
A second wrote: “What a joke.”
While a third said: “Oh no devastating news how will we cope.”
Costa, which has more than 2,000 branches in the UK, is to close its cafe in Erdington, a suburb of Birmingham, on March 3.
A spokesperson for the chain said: “Our Costa Coffee store on Erdington High Street will close its doors for trade on the March 3.
“Our talented team will be re-deployed to nearby Costa Coffee’s in the local area.
“Customers can continue to enjoy their favourite Costa Coffee at our Drive Thru store which recently opened on Kingsbury Road, Erdington.”
The high street favourite has already shut the doors to dozens of its sites in recent months.
Costa says it regularly reviews its store estate across the UK to ensure it’s right for its communities and teams.
This can include the closing or renovation of existing stores, or the opening of new stores.
Cosmetics giant L’Occitane En Provence is closing its store in Hereford’s Old Market.
Staff confirmed it is closing on March 9.
The high end store opened for the first time in 2014 with the launch of the shopping centre.
But beauty lovers will now have to take their shopping basket elsewhere.
L’Occitane has around 60 branches across the UK including in Norfolk, Cheshire and London.
The sudden closure has left many shoppers disappointed as it follows a wave of stores shutting at the Old Market.
Game will close down it’s shop in Grimsby for good in March, although an exact closing date is yet to be confirmed.
It comes after the video game retailer, owned by the Fraser Group, shut down seven more stores, in January.
This includes branches in Exeter, Witney and Huntingdon which welcomed its last customers in January.
Last year, three GAME branches closed in Plymouth, Cambridge and Newport, Wales.
However, the Newport branch reopened in a nearby Sports Direct unit just two days later.
The openings come after a wave of closures across other Frasers brands within the group in recent months.
Several House of Fraser stores have closed in recent months, including its Solihull site last month and its iconic store in the Howells building in Cardiff.
The new-style Frasers shops host several of Frasers Group‘s brands like Belong, USC and Evans Cycles.
In the past two years the group has opened nine Frasers stores and shoppers have taken to social media to express their excitement about the further openings.
A Sports Direct branch in Stroud, Gloucestershire, will be pulling the shutters down for good at the end of March.
Fans of the clothing store were saddened to hear the news as 20 per cent off sale posters were plastered over the windows.
It comes as the shop is relocating from Union Street to the Five Valleys Shopping Centre, and will open on April 1.
Sports Direct claimed their new site will be larger and offer a wider selection of products.
Argos will close its standalone store at the Overgate in Dundee city centre this month, but an exact date is yet to be confirmed.
The retailer will also close its branch in Kingstown, Carlisle this month.
Sainsbury’s, which owns Argos, is closing standalone stores and bringing them within supermarkets as click-and-collect points.
Argos currently has 1,103 locations, including 669 standalone stores and 431 sites inside Sainsbury’s stores.
Last year the high street retailer closed 47 UK shops, including all 34 of its branches in the Republic of Ireland in June.
The company blamed the closure of the Republic of Ireland stores on the investment required to develop and modernise the Irish part of its business as “not viable”.
By March this year, Sainsbury’s expects to have 160 standalone stores and between 430 and 460 Argos counters inside Sainsbury’s supermarkets.
The Body Shop has confirmed the latest locations of the 198 stores that are set to close after falling into administration.
The beauty chain will pull down the shutters on a total of 75 sites over the next four to six weeks.
This means that some of the locations could shut this month, but some closures may take place at the beginning of April.
The administrator will write to your creditors and Companies House to say they’ve been appointed.
They will try to stop the company from being liquidated but if they can’t, the administrator will pay as much of a company’s debts as possible from the assets.
The administrator has eight weeks to write a statement explaining what they plan to do.
This must be sent to creditors, employees and Companies House and invites them to approve or amend the plans at a meeting.
The administrators might try to negotiate rents with landlords to keep stores open, or they might look to close just the least profitable stores.
It comes after seven The Body Shop stores already closed their doors for good, including in London, Bristol and Warwickshire.
When the company collapsed, administrators said the firm would “consider all options” but concluded the current range of stores “is no longer viable”.
Almost 500 staff will lose their jobs when the 75 stores shut their doors for good, FRP Advisory said.
Below is the full list of locations closing within four to six weeks.
However, administrators have confirmed that 116 branches across the UK will remain open for now.
Tesco Mobile in Tesco supermarket in Tenterden will shut its doors for good on March 17.
The next nearest Tesco Mobile for shoppers will soon be Park Farm supermarket in Ashford, which is more than 10 miles away.
Tesco has already had a rocky past few months.
The retailer flogged its banking business to Barclays for £600million after running it for 27 years.
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