SHOPPERS have been left gutted as a major retailer with 350 shops closes two branches this week.
Peacocks is pulling down the shutters on its branch in Camborne, Cornwall, today in a blow for customers and locals.
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And the retailer is also closing its branch in Boscombe, Bournemouth, on Saturday, April 6.
News of the closures has already been met with devastation from locals.
One, commenting on the Camborne closure, said: “So sorry to see this. It can’t go on like this. We need change.”
Meanwhile, another added: “Bloody hell Peacocks not been in Camborne that long in the grand scheme of things, such a shame.”
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A third dejected Peacocks customer, reflecting on the Boscombe closure, said: “They’ll all shut down soon. There will be only online shopping, mark my words.”
And a fourth added: “Only pound shops and coffee shops exist in Boscombe nowadays.”
The two Peacocks store closures are not the first to hit UK high streets in recent months.
The retailer, which currently runs around 350 UK stores, pulled down the shutters on a branch in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on January 25, according to local news reports.
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The chain also closed its store in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, on March 23 in a blow for shoppers.
The shop in Ashford’s County Square Shopping Centre in Kent also pulled down its shutters for the final time on March 23.
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But it’s by no means all bad news for the fashion retailer as it also has major expansion plans in the works.
The parent company of Peacocks, Bonmarché and Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM), Purepay Retail, is looking to open 100 stores across the UK.
It comes after Peacocks collapsed into administration in November 2020, shutting its then more than 420 stores.
The fashion chain went bust after struggling for business amid the coronavirus pandemic and multiple lockdowns.
However, it has been slowly reappearing on the high street, building its portfolio back up to around 350 stores.
In October last year, the chain revealed it had plans to open seven new stores across Wales, England and Scotland too.
Which Peacocks stores are closing down?
See the full list of stores that have closed or are set to close:
- Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk – January 25
- Merthyr Tydfil, Wales – March 23
- County Square Shopping Centre, Ashford, Kent – March 23
- Camborne, Cornwall – April 3
- Boscombe, Bournemouth – April 6
What else is happening on the high street?
The high street has been hit hard in recent years as shoppers increasingly turn their attentions to online retail.
High energy and wage costs and business rates have further piled pressure on businesses, forcing many to close.
A number of major brands have crashed into administration since the start of 2023, including Wilko and Paperchase.
This year, The Body Shop fell into administration which has seen dozens of branches close. Eighty two will have shut in total by the end of April.
Other retailers have been closing shops in a bid to reduce their physical presence across the UK.
Last June, Boots said it would be shutting 300 of its 2,200 stores in areas where it already operates one.
Superdry started closing eight of its 104 UK branches last July as part of a £35million cost-cutting project.
But, like with Peacocks, it’s not all bad news in the sector as a number of chains are opening branches too.
B&M has opened 17 branches already this year, while Aldi has its eyes set on opening hundreds more branches in the coming years.
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DIY chain Screwfix is also set to open dozens of branches as its owner Kingfisher looks to expand its nationwide presence.
Major supermarket chain Asda has also been opening dozens of branches across the UK.
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