The closing shop chains thread...

[dutchman]

Halfords has closed at Airport Retail Park on London Road



A Coventry Halfords has closed for good after failing to renew the lease on the building, a decision they say was made with "careful consideration". Halfords has closed at Orchard Retail Park, known as Airport Retail Park, on London Road.

Bosses confirmed that the city store closed on Friday, May 10. Staff have been offered roles at other branches in the region, Halfords said.

Halfords told CoventryLive that they chose not to renew the lease on the premises following "careful consideration". Customers can find their nearest Halfords on Foleshill Road and Newtown Road in Nuneaton.

A spokesman for Halfords said: “We can confirm Halfords at Orchard Retail Park permanently closed on Friday, May 10. We are working hard to support all of those affected and have been able to offer all colleagues roles at alternative locations.

“We would like to thank all our customers for their support of the Halfords at Orchard Retail Park and look forward to welcoming them at Halfords on Newtown Road in Nuneaton and Halfords on Foleshill Road located within a 42-minute drive.”

[dutchman]

Shuropody in Coventry city centre set to shut down



A specialist footwear store in Coventry is set to close down. Shuropody, located in West Orchards, has posters on their front windows that the store is having a 'closing down sale' with up to 50% off footwear.

The store stocks a range of comfortable footwear that has been designed and developed by senior podiatrists to ensure maximum foot healthcare. Brands include Rieker, Josef Seibel, Strive, and many more.

Shuropody includes "highly-trained" staff who help customers select the "very best" footwear. As the company is the UK's largest podiatry business, they have fully qualified HCPC-registered podiatrists or FHPs in-store to advise on foot care issues.

The news comes after the retailer went into administration in December 2022, and was sold to a subsidiary of BAAJ Capital. The company currently owns 39 stores across the UK but has suffered recent closures in Salisbury and Harrogate in May 2024.

Shuropody Coventry has a 4.2-star rating on Google reviews, with many positive experiences from customers - and it will be missed. One customer said: "Absolutely lovely place, great customer service, staff always friendly and willing to help. Been back a few times and never had any problems."

Annie Field agreed and added: "Very impressed with the quick and professional service I received. My feet feel very comfortable. Very attentive staff throughout. The treatment area allows a good degree of privacy from customers who are just browsing the shop."

It has not been yet confirmed when the Coventry store is set to close.

[dutchman]

Latest Boots store closures in Coventry and Warwickshire as troubled firm to close more shops



Retailer Boots will be shutting dozens of stores this year following a string of closures in Coventry and Warwickshire. It is continuing with cost-cutting plans to shut down hundreds of branches, with the number of UK stores set to be slashed by around 300.

A number of city-based branches have already closed for good, including Boots on Moseley Avenue, Daventry Road, and Jardine Crescent. Stores have also closed on All Saints Square in Bedworth and Clock Towers Shopping Centre in Rugby.

In June 2023, Walgreens Boots Alliance said it would close 300 UK pharmacies over the following year as part of plans to save £618m. Boots confirmed to The Pharmaceutical Journal that the small number of pharmacies yet to close would be shutting for good by the end of 2024.

On the Boots UK website, it says they currently have 2,100 stores in the UK. In its quarterly financial statement, Walgreens Boots Alliance said its cost-saving plan included the closure of 'up to 650 Boots stores' in the UK.

It added that 581 of these stores had closed as of May 31, 2024, with another 69 set to close this year, reports YorkshireLive. All of the remaining pharmacies to close are part of plans already announced and are not additional pharmacy closures, it is understood.

Tim Wentworth, Chief Executive of Walgreens Boots Alliance, said: “We continue to face a difficult operating environment, including persistent pressures on the US consumer and the impact of recent marketplace dynamics, which have eroded pharmacy margins. Our results and outlook reflect these headwinds, despite solid performance in both our international and US healthcare segments.”

Mr Wentworth continued: “Informed by our strategic review, we are focused on improving our core business of retail pharmacy, which is central to the future of healthcare. We are addressing critical issues with urgency and working to unlock opportunities for growth.”

[dutchman]

Two local Carpetright stores rescued but others are still at risk of closing



A local Carpetright store has been saved in a rescue deal with Bensons for Beds - although others are still at risk of closing. Bensons has bought 19 former Carpetright stores, including the one in Solihull.

Last month the brand, the UK’s largest carpet retailer, fell into administration. Shortly after it was bought by Tapi, including the Carpetright brand, 54 shops and two warehouses.

Coventry ’s Airport Retail Park has been confirmed to be one of the stores sold to Tapi and will remain open, a spokesman for the firm said.

Bensons for Beds has now said it will save 19 of the more than 200 remaining stores that Carpetright has confirmed will shut for good.

However other local stores, including that at Coventry’s Alvis Retail Park, along with stores in Nuneaton and Rugby, are not included on either the Bensons rescue list or on the list of 54 stores Tapi has bought. This means they are still at risk of closure.

[dutchman]

Coventry TGI Fridays at risk as operator collapses into administration



The future of Coventry's popular TGI Fridays is at risk as the company's owner has gone into administration. Hostmore said it had appointed administrators from Teneo.

It comes after plans to buy the US restaurant chain collapsed earlier this month, the Mirror has reported. All of the company's 87 restaurants, including the Coventry eatery, were put up for sale earlier this week.

It has been reported that some of these sales were planned to be completed by the end of this month. Now the future is less certain.

This is because it is not clear whether some or all of the restaurants are likely to find a buyer. The Binley branch has been at the centre of celebrations for locals for years, with the famed birthday song and balloon hat.

It has been said that American-inspired restaurant chain will remain open as normal while the administration process starts. Hostmore said, in a statement to the London Stock Exchange: "The board is immensely proud of all Hostmore colleagues, both in store and in the support centre, who worked tirelessly to execute a turnaround programme over the past 18 months and to deliver a successful result on the proposed acquisition of TGI Fridays, Inc.

"The board inherited a very challenging set of circumstances, but a focus on reducing costs, revising the group’s capital allocation policy and implementing both board and senior management changes, meant that the group was able to reduce annualised expenditures by £12million, significantly reduce losses from unprofitable stores, and operate the group’s stores at a best in class efficiency level for the sector, all while improving guest scores to our highest levels on record.

“Unfortunately, all of the board’s efforts to implement a lasting solution to support the long-term financial future of the business came against a highly challenging trading and macroeconomic backdrop, and efforts to create value for shareholders through the proposed acquisition of TGI Fridays, while well-advanced, encountered adverse events outside of the board’s control."

TGI Fridays first opened in the UK in the 1980s with its first branch in nearby Birmingham.

[rebbonk]

Looks like Tupperware may also be going the same way