High street giant closure leaves town devastated – ‘We’ll have nothing left’ | UK | News
Locals in a market town are left disappointed after another major brand closes on their high street. Arnold, in north-east Nottingham, is trying to make a retail comeback but now faces a new setback.
Poundland has announced that its Front Street store will close on December 6 after the struggling chain failed to agree terms to stay there. The brand, which recently sold for a pound and closed some of its stores as part of its new owner’s recovery efforts, said it had consulted with staff at Arnold’s. The move has disappointed shoppers in the town, which has been trying to revitalize its troubled high street for years. Locals say they will soon have ‘nothing left’
Retiree Carole Elliott, 66, said: NottinghamLive He said the closure of another shop would contribute to a “domino effect” that has seen rows of empty units begin to appear in the once “buzzing” market town.
He said: “How many more shops can we lose? If we keep going like this in the next five years we’ll be left with nothing. It used to be a great place to shop, people came from all over, but now it’s ruined.”
Gerald Richardson, 77, who has lived in Arnold all his life, said he was told by staff they would lose their jobs when the store closed.
“One of them told me they were going to lose their job, which is sad,” he said, sitting outside the store.
Gedling Borough Council plans to revitalize the town center and support business development through the Ambition Arnold scheme.
Steven Ray, 49, said the council’s ambitious but as yet unfunded plan could not happen soon enough because every time he visited there were “more empty shops”.
Poundland has been restructuring its operations since the summer and is expected to reduce its store network from 800 to 650-700.
The budget retailer said Arnold’s was not on the list of stores it initially identified to close, but it was unable to strike a deal to keep the unit.
Darren MacDonald, Poundland’s UK retail manager, said: “We know how disappointing it is to leave a store, but before we close our doors for the final time, we’re determined to say goodbye to our customers by delivering even more amazing value.
“These special discounts, along with the value we deliver every day across our wider network, will help us stand out from places like Arnold with pride.
“And when our doors close, we look forward to welcoming customers to one of the hundreds of Poundland stores we will continue to operate across the UK.”
The clearance sale at Arnold will offer discounts of up to 40%, with the price of items reduced until they sell out. It covers everything from household goods to groceries and clothing to health and beauty.
