The past year has been a difficult one for the British high street with dozens of shops shutting and beloved brands going under, and the trend looks set to continue in 2025.
Many high streets have reported store closures due to dwindling footfall and less spending power due to the cost of living crisis, with recent research revealing almost 10,500 UK shops closed for the final time in 2023.
By the end of 2024, the Centre for Retail Research reported an additional 8,543 stores had closed by mid-November and nearly 250,000 retail jobs had been lost over two years.
The start of 2025 is set to be no different either, with the likes of WHSmith, Monki and Millets all planning store closures.
Here is a list of every retailer planning to close down shops in the new year:
Stationery giant WHSmith will close its Winton branch in Bournemouth, Dorset, on February 15, 2025. This follows the closure of the nearby Boscombe branch in June 2024.
Over the past two years, the retailer has shuttered 10 stores, including locations in Manchester, Bicester, Somerset, and Sale.
Despite these closures WHSmith remains focused on growth, with plans to add 110 nw stores
with plans to open 110 new stores, including 15 in the UK and over 50 in the United States. The expansion will target high-traffic areas such as airports, railway stations, and hospitals.
The company is also partnering with Toys R Us to introduce toy concessions in some UK stores. However, cost-saving measures have been introduced to address a 4% drop in sales, with the retailer aiming to cut £10 million in expenses throughout the year.
Monki, a youth-focused fashion chain owned by H&M, has announced the closure of all seven of its UK stores in 2025. Key locations such as Carnaby Street in London and Manchester’s Arndale Centre are among those affected.
H&M plans to merge Monki with its sister brand Weekday to create a single retail offering aimed at younger consumers.
While exact closure dates have not been confirmed, this move reflects the Scandinavian company’s efforts to streamline its operations and focus on profitability.
Toy retailer The Entertainer will shut its branch at Cameron Toll shopping centre in Edinburgh on January 4, 2025. The closure marks the end of the store’s 10-year presence in the area, having first opened in 2014.
Although no offical reason has been given for the closure, CEO Andrew Murphy cited October’s Budget and said a government-imposed increase in employer’s National Insurance contributions had halted plans to open two additional new stores.
Co-op has announced the closure of 19 food stores across England by the end of May 2025.
Of these, three will reopen as B&M branches, while the remaining 16 are being sold to Samy Limited, an independent convenience chain that operates Budgens, Spar, Londis, and Premier outlets.
Central Co-op said the 19 branches had been ‘financially unsustainable for some time’.
However, the retailer also opened five new stores and refurbished 35 others in 2024.
Outdoor retailer Millets will close six stores in early 2025 and has launched massive closing down sales.
Four locations, in Lowestoft, Douglas, York, and Grimsby, will be rebranded under its sister brand Go Outdoors, while a branch in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, will close permanently in January 2025 without rebranding.
Millets’ parent company, JD Outdoors, is prioritizing the expansion of Go Outdoors, which now operates 96 sites nationwide.
Homebase will close four stores in Derry/Londonderry, Inverurie, Omagh, and Fife in early 2025.
The move follows six store closures in December 2024, which saw all 10 sites acquired by Sainsbury’s for conversion into supermarkets.
The hardware chain’s troubles date back to its acquisition by Hilco Capital in 2018, which has resulted in the closure of 93 stores.
Although 70 Homebase locations were saved by The Range’s purchase, the company continues to struggle in the competitive DIY and home improvement sector.
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