Iconic high street chains to close 4 stores before March

February 19, 2025 3,072

British high streets have bid farewell to over half a dozen stores this month, with WHSmith and Dobbies garden centres at the forefront of closures.

It comes after a busy start to the year for other iconic high street names, including Greggs, Shoe Zone, Deichmann, and New Look, which is preparing to shut another long-standing branch in Porth, Wales, in a matter of days.

A taxing retail landscape coupled with Labour’s first fiscal Budget has been blamed for mass closures. The Centre for Retail Research warned that the “worse is yet to come,” with forecasts suggesting that store closures will rise 30% to 17,350 over the next 12 months.

Retailers brace for increased costs from April due to higher employer National Insurance contributions and a rise in the minimum wage. The National Insurance rate companies pay will increase from 13.8% to 15%, and the earnings threshold at which employers begin paying National Insurance will be reduced from £9,100 annually to £5,000.

While most closures are occurring among high street chains, supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s, are also impacted.

WHSmith

The recognisable blue and white shop signage is becoming scarce on UK high streets, though new branches are cropping up in travel hubs, like train stations and airports.

WHSmith has bid farewell to seven sites this month, including two in Bournemouth, one in Luton, one in Rhyl (Denbighshire), one in Bolton, and another in Bedfordshire.

Shoppers in Basingstoke, Hampshire, were the first to see their local branch close this month, on February 1, after 56 years of trade.

No further closures are expected this month, but a site in Accrington will lock its doors for good in March. Two more will close in April, in Diss and Newport.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s has announced plans to close its remaining 61 in-store cafes and all hot food, pizza, and patisserie counters in its supermarkets.

This decision is part of a broader strategy to save £1 billion over three years and will lead to more than 3,000 job losses. The retailer cited reduced demand for its in-house cafes and hot food offerings as a rationale for the closures.

The exact dates for the at-risk stores have yet to be revealed, though some cafes and counters could close before the end of the month.

Sainsbury’s cafes that will close

Fosse Park, Leicestershire
Pontypridd, South Wales
Rustington, West Sussex
Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Penzance, Cornwall
Denton, Greater Manchester
Wrexham, North Wales
Longwater, Norwich, Norfolk
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Pontllanfraith, South Wales
Emersons Green, South Gloucestershire
Nantwich, Cheshire
Pinhoe Road, Exeter, Devon
Pepper Hill – Northfleet, Kent
Marshall Lake, Solihull, West Midlands
Rhyl, North Wales
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Bridgemead, Swindon, Wiltshire
Larkfield, Aylesford, Kent
Whitchurch Bargates, Shropshire
Sedlescombe Road, Hastings, East Sussex
Barnstaple, Devon
Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Kings Lynn Hardwick, Norfolk
Truro, Cornwall
Warren Heath, Ipswich, Suffolk
Godalming, Surrey
Hereford, Herefordshire
Chichester, West Sussex
Bognor Regis, West Sussex
Newport, South Wales
Talbot Heath, Dorset
Rugby, Warwickshire
Cannock, Staffordshire
Leek, Staffordshire
Winterstoke Road, Bristol
Hazel Grove, Stockport, Greater Manchester
Morecambe, Lancashire
Darlington, County Durham
Monks Cross, Huntington, North Yorkshire
Marsh Mills, Plymouth, Devon
Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex
Durham, County Durham
Bamber Bridge, Lancashire
Weedon Road, Northampton, East Midlands
Hempstead Valley, Kent
Hedge End, Hampshire
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Thanet Westwood Cross, Kent
Stanway, Colchester, Essex
Castle Point, Essex
Isle of Wight
Keighley, West Yorkshire
Swadlincote, Derbyshire
Leicester North, East Midlands
Wakefield Marsh Way, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Torquay, Devon
Waterlooville, Hampshire
Macclesfield, Cheshire
Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Cheadle, Greater Manchester

New Look

The fashion brand has been a pillar of the high street for decades, but it is preparing for a third casualty this month. Shoppers in Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in Wales will see their local New Look store close this weekend, on February 22.

A spokesperson said: “Our store in Porth is set to close on February 22. We thank our colleagues and the local community for their support over the years. We hope customers continue to shop with us online at newlook.com, where our full product ranges can be found.”

It follows recent reports of the fashion retailer ramping up store closures as more and more leases expire, raising fears of job losses for the 8,000 people it currently employs.

Two sites owned by the brand closed earlier this year in Wickford, Essex (closed on January 24), and the Bracknell Peel Centre, Bracknell (closed on January 30).

Dobbies

Major UK garden centre chain Dobbies is preparing to close another store by March after it has already bid farewell to six sites this year. Shoppers in Aylesbury will be next to be affected by widespread closures, followed by those in Northampton, who will see their local centre close on March 2.

Garden centres owned by the brand that have closed already include:

Rugby – closed January 19
Morpeth – closed January 19
Stapleton – closed January 19
Havant – closed January 19
Hare Hatch – closed January 31
Leicester – closed February 14

Hollister

Popular clothing brand Hollister is set to close its store in Aberdeen’s Union Square in the latest blow to the shopping centre. After Fat Face recently departed its sizeable unit, the Granite City shopping destination has endured a tough start to 2025.

According to AberdeenLive, the shop will open for the final time on February 28 before closing permanently.

Homebase

Meanwhile, DIY chain Homebase confirmed 35 closures for February after falling into administration in November 2024. The retail group CDS, owner of The Range, had agreed to snap up around 70 stores. However, some will close for good.

An enormous clearance sale has been launched at Homebase in Easlea Road, Bury St Edmunds. The shop will permanently close on Friday, February 28. It follows the recent closure of a site in Selby, North Yorkshire, and is joined by another Homebase shop in Maidenhead, which is also luring customers with a going-out-of-business sale