The closing shop chains thread...

[dutchman]

Warwick and Leamington MP 'reminds M&S of promises made' to Warwick



The MP for Leamington and Warwick has said that he has reminded M&S of the promises it made the town of Warwick during a 'constructive' meeting about the town's Simply Food store.

Last month M&S revealed it would be shutting the ‘Simply Food’ store in Market Street in Warwick and the clothing store in the Royal Priors Shopping Centre in Leamington when the new M&S store opens on the Leamington Shopping Park later this year.

News of this sparked much anger among residents - especially those living in Warwick who want to keep the food store.

Following on from the news MP Matt Western set up a petition, which now has more than 3,000 signatures, to try and keep the store in Warwick.

This week Mr Western had a meeting with M&S to continue to make a case for the Simple Food store and he said he also reminded them of previous promises made.

On his social media Mr Western said: "I had a constructive meeting with M&S Chairman Archie Norman.

"I reminded him that the firm assured residents in 2017 that it would retain the Simply Food store as a precondition for opening the out-of-town department store - as shown in planning documents and consultation leaflets from the firm itself."

[rebbonk]

Things have changed so much since those promises were made. I think he'll be very lucky to get them to honour promises from 2017.

[dutchman]

They're coming thick and fast now...

Gap to close 19 stores across UK and Ireland



Gap has said it plans to close 19 stores in the UK and Ireland next month as part of a shake-up aimed to return the brand to growth.

The US-based retailer - which has stores in Leamington and at Resorts World at the NEC - said it is proposing to close the shops when their leases end in July but did not clarify how many jobs would be impacted by the move.

It said the decision will leave it with around 50 other standalone and outlet stores, although the group said it is continuing to assess its current portfolio as part of a strategic review it started last year.

In October last year, Gap said it could potentially close all its UK, Ireland, France and Italy stores as part of the review as its responds to a slump in trading.

The company said on Wednesday that it is "keen to maintain a presence in Europe" but this could include greater focus on its online sales.

A spokeswoman for the company said: "We are proposing to close 19 Gap stores in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that have leases ending at the end of July 2021.

"These leases are not being extended due to the strategic review that we have underway."

[dutchman]

Debenhams entrance boarded-up to stop aggressive beggars using it as a drugs shelter



Wooden boards now block the main entrance to Nuneaton's former Debenhams to stop aggressive beggars using it as a base to take drugs.

The action was taken after pleas were made by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council to stop a 'cohort' of trouble-makers seeking refuge on the area on the steps.

It has been more than a month since the former department store closed its doors for good and it had become a magnet for a group of known aggressive beggars who have been using the sheltered area to congregate and take drugs.

But, as of yesterday (June 23), the stepped entrance has now been boarded up, a move that has been welcomed by councillors.

[dutchman]

JD Sports make shock Nuneaton announcement



The much-anticipated move of JD Sports to Nuneaton is off.

It has been confirmed to CoventryLive that the plans to open a branch in the town centre have fallen through.

There was much excitement when the sports giant confirmed in February 2020 that it planned to move into the Ropewalk Shopping Centre.

Initially it was due to open in November last year, but hit a set-back largely caused by the pandemic.

But, as we reported in our newsletter, the firm said it had hoped to move into the shopping centre around Easter time this year.

However, there has been no sign of action within the shopping centre and now the news has been confirmed that JD Sports is not coming to the town.

Its arrival would have been the first sports shop in the centre since JJB Sports closed in 2012 to be replaced by Pure Gym.

The shopping centre has lost Monsoon and Accessorize, as well as HMV and River Island.

Topshop also closed its doors after having a presence in the town for decades.

[dutchman]

House of Fraser in Leamington: What staff have told us about the imminent closure of the department store



Staff of House of Fraser in Leamington are said to be devastated by the imminent closure of the store which was announced to them last week.

A member of staff, who wanted to remain anonymous, has told the Courier and Weekly News that they and colleagues at the store in The Parade were told about the closure last Tuesday and that it was due to the landlord having sold the building.

They have been told that the store is likely to close in early January.

One said: "Everyone is in shock and upset.

"We had heard the rumours for years but the store was making a profit."

Another worker said everyone is "extremely devastated" by the closure, while another added that Leamington is losing an "icon of the town".

Video games retailer GAME had moved from its Leamington branch from the Royal Priors shopping centre and into a large section of the second floor of the department store about three weeks ago.

A staff member said: "We were really looking forward to seeing what we could do with all this space but now everything is up in the air.

"I'm not sure if we will still have a shop in Leamington after this, we will find out in the next few days."

House of Fraser, then called Rackhams, opened its store in place of an Army & Navy branch in Leamington in 1976.

The company has had some troubled times in recent years and talk of the Leamington store closing and the building being redeveloped has been rife.

In 2018, Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western called on Mike Ashley, CEO of Sports Direct, to meet with him urgently to discuss the possibility of keeping the Leamington branch open, after the company was purchased for £90 million by the tycoon.

And in May 2020, plans to convert the building into a gym and cinema were dropped in favour of new proposals to have retail units and offices at the site instead.At that time, developers said they expected House of Fraser to close that year.

Mr Western has again contacted Mike Ashley to discuss the imminent closure and is awaiting a response from the businessman.

[dutchman]

Wilko to close 15 UK stores - the full list of towns affected



Wilkos stores across Coventry and Warwickshire have been spared the axe after bosses announced 15 closures.

The national retailer has announced it plans to close 15 stores this year in a move that will lead to the loss of around 67 jobs.

According to the Mirror, it has been confirmed that stores with 'non-favourable terms' will close this year as a part of the chain's "long-term growth strategy."

But the stores in our region, including Cathedral Lanes and Cannon Park in Coventry as well as Church Street in Nuneaton, Manning Walk in Rugby and Royal Priors in Leamington and Kenilworth are not on list.

The full list of store closures is:

Bournemouth, Stockton, Shipley, The Fort, Scunthorpe, Narborough Road, Grantham, Redditch, Rotherham, Skegness, Sutton Coldfield, Orpington, Edmonton Green, Llanelli, Merthyr Tydfil and Cleethorpes.

Trade union group GMB this morning described the announcement as "another nail in the high street coffin".

[dutchman]

High street retailer reassures shoppers after shutting up shop in Rugby



Popular jeweller Pandora has no plans to shut more stores in Warwickshire or Coventry after closing its branch in Rugby town centre.

Seven members of staff were made redundant after the high street chain closed its store in Market Place on Saturday (15).

But the Denmark-based brand has no intention of shedding any more sites from its portfolio of 130 owned and operated outlets across the UK.

A spokesperson said: "We would also like to take this opportunity to reassure our customers that the move does not mark an end for Pandora in Coventry & Warwickshire.

"Our Leamington Spa and Northampton stores remain open and we look forward to welcoming all customers into store in the near future.

"Alternatively, customers can also visit uk.pandora.net where they can shop their favourite pieces online."

Pandora, which has grown rapidly since hitting our shores in 2005, said it was providing the "fullest support" to the workers who had lost their jobs.

"The closure of our Warwickshire (Rugby) store this month comes as a result of our franchise agreement with Tylers coming to a natural end," the retailer added.

"We have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Tylers and want to thank the store teams for all of their hard work over the years.

"Moving forward, our immediate priority is to provide the fullest support to our team members affected by the closure."

The closure comes just a few weeks after B&M announced it would be shutting its branch at Rugby Central (Clock Towers) Shopping Centre.

In December, New Look turned its North Street store into a clearance outlet with its Elliott's Field branch selling the fashion retailer's newest ranges.

[dutchman]

One of the busiest Greggs in Birmingham shuts down permanently



A popular Greggs in Birmingham city centre looks like it has closed for good - after a sign appeared in the window announcing its closure.

A sign showing a broken-hearted cookie has been placed in the window of its former café store on The Ramp off New Street.

The crack in the heart goes right down the jammy bit in the middle along with the message: 'We're really sorry, we will not be reopening'.

The Ramp has one of the highest footfall levels in Birmingham's retail offer and this Greggs was next to one of only two McDonald's currently serving the city centre.

BirminghamLive asked the company why this particular store had closed.

A spokesperson for Greggs responded: "This shop has been closed since March 2020. We didn’t reopen it after the first lockdown when other non-essential retail opened. All of the staff were relocated."

The store still includes the chiller cabinets and benched seating next to a brick wall which still has photographs on the wall.

The floor is a mixture of wood-effect laminate and black and white squares.

Greggs does of course have many other city centre outlets, including one on Cherry Street which is also next door to another McDonald's.

The poster with the broken-hearted jammy dodger-style cookie says the nearest shops are either on High Street or at the top of New Street.

It adds: "We hope to see you soon."

[dutchman]

They still don't say WHY it shut down?

My guess is a shortage of staff like so many other food outlets.