Home improvement chain to close 56 stores with Tesco and WHSmith to follow
Store closures on British high streets have affected a wide range of retailers, from independent shops to large, well-known brands.
According to the latest data from the Centre for Retail Research, 1,846 stores have closed and 23,982 retail jobs were lost between January and the end of June 2024.
Though the number of store closures has been much lower this year than in 2023, which saw 10,949 shops shut, there’s still time for the numbers to creep up before the end of the year.
July saw at least 10 stores close down, including Poundland, B&M, B&Q and Robert Dyas sites, while Marks and Spencer, Tesco and Clinton Cards have led brands in shutting shops this month.
Now a major home improvement chain, CTD Tiles, will follow by shuttering 56 branches. Meanwhile, Tesco and WHSmith will prepare to bid farewell to branches of their own.
Which stores are closing?
The Newcastle-based brand CTD Tiles will shut down a total of 56 sites and cut 268 jobs, administrators have said. Its downfall comes after its peak at which the brand ran 86 stores across the UK and employed 425 staff.
CTD fell into insolvency on Monday, August 19 after coming under pressure from a downturn in the home improvement sector.
Administrators from Interpath Advisory said competitor Topps has struck a £9million deal to buy CTD’s brands, intellectual property, stock, 30 stores and operation of distribution sites in Leeds and Kings Norton.
Some 92 staff will keep their jobs and transfer over to Topps. Administrators also revealed they will keep on a further 65 to deal with the transition of the administration process.
However, it has been confirmed that the remaining 56 shops have now shut, leading to the “regrettable” decision to make 268 workers redundant.
WHSmith, known for its array of best-selling books, newspapers and stationery, will also be closing a store this September.
Shoppers who frequent the Stanley Square store in Cheshire will see the branch pull down the shutters for good on Saturday, September 14.
Its iconic blue and white shop-front will be ripped out later this year in a crushing blow to locals who described the retail prospects in the area to be “dying at a rapid rate”.
It’s not the first store WHSmith has axed this year, with several others having closed already, including the high street branch in Slough, Berkshire.
This doesn’t mean that the business is at risk, a spokesperson confirmed: “We can confirm that the WHSmith store in Sale will be closing on Saturday, September 14 owing to the landlord’s redevelopment plans. We are disappointed to be losing our presence in Sale and we would like to thank all our customers for their support and for shopping with us”, they said.
Tesco shoppers in High Wycombe will see one of their major Tesco stores close down temporarily. The local superstore will downsize to the ground floor only after renegotiating its lease with Buckinghamshire Council, which owns the building.
The store is expected to close between October 2024 and autumn 2025 while the refit takes place on the ground floor.
According to local news reports, the move is to allow the upper floors of the Tesco building to be repurposed into council offices and as the new home of the county archives.
John Chilver, the council’s cabinet member for accessible housing and resources commented: “This is fantastic news for High Wycombe residents.
“Not only do they retain a much-used supermarket, they will also benefit from the relocation of an important cultural and historical treasure trove, right on their doorstep in the form of the Buckinghamshire Archives.”
