Exact date discount department store chain to axe ANOTHER branch in days as shoppers call it a ‘huge loss’

A MAJOR discount department store has confirmed the exact date it will close another site and shoppers are calling it a “huge loss.”

 The Original Factory Shop‘s store in Harwich has announced it is rolling down the shatters for good next month.

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Its store in the Essex town will close to shoppers for the final time on Saturday, April 6.

The company posted a statement on its Facebook page which reads: “We are sorry to let you know our store will close it’s doors on April 6, 2024.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the local community and our store colleagues for their support throughout our time here in Harwich.

“We’d love to see you in store one final time to say goodbye.”

Reacting to the news on Facebook, one local shopper said: “It will be a sad loss for the town.

“l will miss coming into your shop is the only place where I can get shoes to fit me, and I will also miss the staff.

“Good lock in whatever you do in new employment.”

Another said: “This is so sad especially given the store is a successful and profitable one!

“It will be greatly missed… The staff are fantastic.”

“So sad to read this, an amazing hard working team,” said a third shopper.

A spokesperson previously told The Sun: “We regularly review the stores across our estate and, unfortunately, have taken the decision to close our Harwich store.

“We are consulting with colleagues at the store and are working hard to support all of those affected. 

“We’d like to thank all our customers for their support and look forward to welcoming them at any of our other four stores, which are all located within 20 miles.”

The retailer has been running since 1969 and has around 190 stores across the UK.

But this is not the only branch biting the dust this year.

The Original Factory Shop has already pulled the shutters down on three stores in:

• Chepstow, Wales
• Mildenhall, Suffolk
• Bodmin, Cornwall

The chain previously closed two stores back in May last year too.

Stores shut in Bideford, Devon, on May 19 and in Stourport at the end of May 2023.

However, the chain also opened more than a dozen new department stores between August and October last year.

New shops have opened in the following locations:

• Kirkintilloch – opened August 24
• Stonehaven – opened August 31
• Blandford Forum – opened August 31
• Haddington – opened September 7
• Wetherby – opened September 7
• Nairn – opened September 14
• Ashbourne – opened September 14
• Castle Douglas – opened September 21
• Penrith – opened September 21
• Inverness – opened September 28
• Attleborough – opened September 28
• Ayr – opened October 5
• Ringwood – opened October 5
• Perth – opened October 12
• Lanark – opened October 19
• Peterhead – opened October 26

Retailers closing stores in 2024

RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.

High energy costs and a move to shopping online are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.

Here’s a list of all the big-name brands closing stores this year:

• Argos – The brand announced plans to close 100 standalone UK branches last year as it looks to move away from the high street and focus on expanding its presence in supermarkets.
• B&Q – The chain has over 300 shops across the UK, so chances are you have one near you, but some stores have closed in recent months.
• Boots – The health and beauty chain announced that it would be closing 300 stores last July. Closures are ongoing and this will see the retailer’s estate reduced from 2,200 to 1,900 shops.
• Clintons – Clintons mulled plans to close 38 shops in a bid to avoid insolvency late last year. We’ve listed the stores affected.
• Costa Coffee – The caffeine giant has around 2,000 sites nationwide, so chances are you’ll have one near you. The chain has shut the doors to dozens of its sites recently. We’ve revealed which stores are due to close this year.
• Iceland – The supermarket has more than 900 stores but closed nearly two dozen sites in 2023, and more selected shops are due to shut.
• Lidl – The supermarket, which has 950 stores, is changing up shop locations, which has meant that some stores have to close. But the retailer is also looking to open 12 new supermarkets.
• M&S – M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, has been closing a string of branches across the country in a blow for shoppers. It’s not all bad news, though, because the chain also has big plans to open dozens of new shops as well.
• Trespass – The firm announced in July last year that it was closing six branches, but more are on the way.
• WHSmith – The retail giant, which runs over 1,100 stores, has shuttered eight stores since March 2023, but more are coming.

What else is happening on the high street?

Retailers have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic with shoppers cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.

High energy costs and a move to online shopping after the pandemic are also taking a toll and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.

The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year and more are on the way.

Several major brands have collapsed in 2023, including Wilko and Paperchase.

The Lidl news comes just weeks after The Body Shop tumbled into administration.

It then announced last week that it would be closing almost half of its 198 stores.

Seven branches shut with immediate effect including sites in Surrey Quays and Oxford Street, London.

In early February, Hobbycraft’s owner, Bridgepoint, was reported to be exploring “strategic options” for the business.

These options could include putting the retailer up for auction.

In January, struggling fashion brand Superdry said it was looking at various “cost-saving options” after reports it is considering a major restructuring which could include store closures and job cuts.

It was working with advisers at PwC on a plan which could lead to a CVA or another form of restructuring.

Such a move could result in store closures and potentially force rent reductions with landlords.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk