The 9 shops and banks closed on UK high street this week – including Natwest and Poundland | UK | News
High streets across the UK continue to feel the impact of store closures, with more big names closing their doors this week. Nine closures were confirmed in just a few days, from major banks to well-known retail chains.
The wave of closures underlines the ongoing challenges facing the UK’s retail and banking sectors. Some well-known and popular high street retailers announced they were closing just this week. Coopers, a hardware chain, has closed all its branches in Norfolk and Suffolk. Their locations included Beccles, Bungay and Halesworth. Stores will close on Saturday 18 October.
Poundland closed its Rochdale, Exchange Shopping Center branch earlier this week on Monday (October 13).
Popular high street fashion store New Look closed its store at The Potteries Center in Stoke-on-Trent on Tuesday (October 14).
Natwest bank closed six stores this week. The Romsey store and Neath branch closed on Monday 13 October, followed by the Redditch bank on Tuesday 14 October.
The bank closed two more stores in Lowestoft and Chippenham on Wednesday 15 October. Finally, on Thursday 16 October, the Trowbridge branch also closed.
These closures are part of a wider trend affecting the UK’s high street, where businesses are struggling with rising costs, changing shopping habits and a shift to online services.
For many communities, each closure means fewer local services and a further blow to already struggling city centres.
Over the yearsWe’ve lost department stores like Debenhams, BHS and House of Fraser, and more recently we’ve said goodbye to WHSmith and Homebase. I saw brands like New Look, Poundland, Starbucks and some supermarkets reduce their positions.
The closures are part of a broader trend. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that up to 400 of Britain’s biggest stores are at risk of closure if the government forces them to comply with a proposed higher business rates tax band.
