Major UK chain shutting 145 stores – full closure list just released

Across the UK this morning, shoppers woke up to a blunt reality: a major high street name is shutting 145 stores, with a full closure list freshly published. It’s the kind of announcement that lands not just in inboxes, but in stomachs. Staff are bracing for conversations, communities are doing the maths, and loyal customers are asking what happens next.

I saw it unfold just after 8am outside a busy corner branch, where the doors still opened on time and the coffee still steamed up the glass. People slowed, reading the taped notice twice, then once more, as if the words might change. A mum with a buggy asked a team member if her click-and-collect would still be there by Friday. He nodded, then stared down at his lanyard.

Word spread in pulses, from WhatsApp groups to street corners to office kitchens. Phones flashed. Screenshots flew. Then the questions started.

What 145 closures really mean for your high street

Closures don’t arrive as a number. They arrive as lighter footfall, shuttered windows, and a missing reason to cut through town. An anchor shop vanishes and you notice small things first — fewer sandwich wrappers in the bins, a quieter bus at 5.30, the florist with more unsold tulips at close.

I think of a market town where one big name left and the rhythm changed almost overnight. The barber next door pushed his chair closer to the window for more light. Two independents tried later hours, then went back to normal, then gave up. We’ve all had that moment when you pass a darkened unit and instinctively glance at the reflections to check if it’s really gone.

These 145 closures will ripple. Not in a headline-grabbing swoosh, but in neat, ordinary lines on spreadsheets: fewer impulse buys, fewer lunch deals, fewer reasons to linger. Rents, rates, energy, and the long tail of our post-2020 habits have converged with the brutal clarity of lease break clauses. The list is public; the consequences are personal.

How to check if your branch is on the list — and what to do next

Start with the source. Go to the company’s official website and look for “News” or “Press” in the top menu, then select the latest update titled along the lines of “Store closure programme.” Download the PDF or open the web page version; the list is usually arranged by region, then town. Cross-check your local branch using the store locator to see the final trading date and any redirects.

Next, screenshot the entry for your branch and note the last day it’s trading. Call the store during off-peak (usually mid-morning on weekdays) for specifics on returns, collections, and alternative branches. If you’ve got pending orders, switch them to delivery or an unaffected store right away. Let’s be honest: nobody does this every day. But a ten-minute sweep now can save you a lot of faff later.

If you’re worried about vouchers, gift cards, or prescriptions tied to a pharmacy counter, ask for the official policy in writing — by email or a till receipt note. Policies change fast when a closure timeline accelerates.

“Don’t panic-share; verify and then act. One clear screenshot from the official list beats a dozen rumours.”

• Ask in-store: final trading day, last date for returns, and where click-and-collect orders will be rerouted.
• Check: gift card cut-off dates and whether balances transfer to online.
• If pharmacy involved: how your prescription will automatically move to a nearby branch or an online service.
• For loyalty points: how long you’ve got to redeem and any exclusions.
• For staff queries: where to find redundancy and redeployment info on the company’s careers portal.

The full list is out — but here’s what it doesn’t show

The public list is clinical: place names, postcodes, dates. It won’t show the community WhatsApp that spun up overnight, the church hall offering interview practice next Tuesday, or the rival shop down the road setting aside three temp roles “no CV needed.” It won’t show how some branches will trade hard right to the last minute, with shelves oddly full in one aisle and bare in the next, like a summer storm passing in stripes.

The list also won’t tell you which closures are tactical and which are terminal. Some units will return with new logos after a refit and a rent reset. Some towns will watch a blank frontage for months, then see a nimble independent grab the keys with a crowdfunded push. Others may wait longer, watching the footfall ebb like a tide that can’t quite remember its timetable.

There’s a quiet, practical kindness in the way people react to news like this. A neighbour offers to pick up an order from the next town. A manager scribbles her LinkedIn on a Post-it and presses it into a colleague’s palm. **If your branch is on the list, the next week or two will feel busy, brittle, and strangely normal.** **That’s not failure — that’s what getting through looks like.** Share the list, yes. But also share the lift.

It’s easy to turn a closure list into a scorecard. Easier still to turn it into an argument about online versus offline, landlords versus tenants, head office versus the shop floor. The truth is messier. The high street isn’t dying in one grand act; it’s changing, stubbornly, store by store, lease by lease. Today’s 145 aren’t just lines in a statement. They’re maps of where we might shop tomorrow, and how we might keep the centre of town worth crossing for.

FAQ :

• How do I know if my store is closing?Go to the company’s News/Press page and open the closure update. Search the list by town or postcode, then cross-check in the store locator for the final trading date.
• What happens to my online order or click-and-collect?Most orders will be rerouted to delivery or a nearby branch. Call your store with the order number to confirm or change the collection point.
• Can I still use gift cards and loyalty points?Yes, until the final trading date for each branch. Many schemes also work online or at unaffected stores, but check any cut-off dates listed in the announcement.
• Are staff being offered roles elsewhere?Large programmes usually include redeployment where possible. Staff can find details via internal HR or the company careers portal referenced in the announcement.
• Will more closures follow after these 145?The company hasn’t committed beyond this list. Future changes depend on lease negotiations, performance, and wider market conditions.