A BELOVED high-street toy store with 160 branches across the UK has announced the closure of yet another branch.
The Entertainer store in a popular Stafford shopping centre is set to shutter up for good this week – sending consumers into a frenzy over their closing sale.
The retailer, which is due to shut January 13, has chosen to wave goodbye to customers with a 50 per cent slash on all products.
Stafford locals have jumped at the offer, realising that it’s the perfect time to “stock up” for birthdays, Easter, and even Christmas.
Dozens of Facebook users on the Stafford Town Awareness Group gushed with excitement over the sale, and rushed to share photos of their hauls.
Annamaria Skaba posted a photo of several presents, as well as the caption “All this for 56pound
few birthdays, easter and treat days sorted this yearthanks whoever posted“
While others tagged their friends and family members telling them to “stock up” ahead of little-ones birthdays.
The toy shop has been a family favourite within The Guildhall Shopping Centre for several years.
But amid a string of recent closures, Nick Hargreaves, Chief Operations Officer at The Entertainer, confirmed the shutting down of the Stafford store.
Hargreaves said: “Due to the planned redevelopment of the Guildhall shopping centre, it is with great sadness that we have to announce the closure of our store within the centre, which has been part of the local community for several years.
“We would like to thank our staff for their incredible service through the years and of course our customers for their loyalty.
“We’re working closely with our Stafford store team to look at opportunities for them elsewhere in the business.
“The Entertainer has stores in Lichfield and The Potteries Centre which are close by for local shoppers. The teams in-store will be delighted to welcome new faces, and customers can also continue to shop online at www.thetoyshop.com.
“Our mission is simple: to become the best-loved toyshop – one child, one community at a time and we’re very proud of the contribution that our store at Guildhall shopping centre made in fulfilling that ambition over the years.”
Other Facebook users on the Stafford Town Awareness Group were more concerned about the state of the high street, however.
While Kate Cox said “Yet another shop leaves the sinking ship that is Stafford”, the user titled Parkside News wrote “How sad, more importantly hope those that work there have found other work.”
It comes just after a long string of The Entertainer branches have been forced to close.
Just this week, both the store in the Galleries Shopping Centre, Bristol, and the store in Cheltenham were forced to shut.
While families in Horsham, West Sussex, are set to see their Entertainer store, in Bishops Weald House, leave early this year too.
And it’s not just toy stores that have been hit hard, many high street retailers have been struggling to get buy over the past few years, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Energy costs have risen and more shoppers than ever are choosing to order online rather than head into stores.
At the same time the cost of living has been rising, leading to shoppers cutting back on non-essential spending.
This has left some retailers grappling with budgets and have no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
Popular chains including M&Co, Paperchase and Wilko closed all stores in 2023.
Boots revealed it would be closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.
And B&M has also closed nine of its stores.
