A NUMBER of shops are set to vanish from the high street this weekend, launching huge closing down sales in the process.
Big name brands includingand are all set to reduce their store portfolio, causing heartbreak for locals.
It comes as many retailers are continuing to feel the pain of higher rents and shoppers having less money to part with at the till.
Hikes to contributions, imposed this month, have also added to business costs.
Below we share all the stores closing this weekend.
SPORTS DIRECT
The bargain leisure store will its branch in Newmarket Road, Cambridge tomorrow, April 18.
To help shift stock before its closure the store has launched a huge everything must go sale.
But while some shoppers are happy to grab a bargain, others have not taken the news so well.
One person, furious with the news, wrote: “Another nail in the coffin for concrete Cambridge.”
It comes after the the retailerin the Central Six Retail Park,, atthe end of January 2024.
It also at its branch in Stroud, last March.
Its store on Octagon Parade in, Buckinghamshire, alsoduring that period.
New Look
The high street fashion retailer is closing a branch in Bexleyheath and has launched a huge 70% off sale.
It's store will close on , giving locals just a few days to say their goodbyes.
The British brand has already shut a number of branches because of this month's hike.
Approximately a quarter of the retailer's 364 stores are .
This equates to about 91 stores, with a significant impact on its 8,000-strong workforce.
Last month, it closed branches inSt Austell and Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
The chain has previously closed locations in Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Wickford, .
New Look also closed down itsafter its Irish arm entered into liquidation.
River Island
The popular clothing chain will also close down a branch this weekend.
It's shop in at Vicar Lane Shopping Centre in Chesterfield will shut on
In the lead-up to the closure, the store has unveiled a closing down sale, offering 30% off everything.
River Island will also close down a stoe in Willow Place, Corby,that will close at the end o.
It marks the end of a near decade end stint at the shopping centre, having first opened in theoutlet in 2007.
Sims Footwear
Family-owned Sims Footwear is also set to close its store in Birmingham.
The shoe store in the Great Western Arcade Shopping Centre will close on .
Owner Paul Lamb, 62, blamed declining footfall for the closure, having already closed his accessory store and another shoe shop in the years prior.
He toldBirminghamWorld: “It’s pointless trying to do what we’ve been doing, we just can’t hang on any longer.”
Room Perfected
The store in Manchester has launched a huge 40% off sale ahead of shutting for good.
The sale at Room Perfected inruns from Friday, April 18 to Monday, April 21.
The store is closing temporarily for a major transformation following customer feedback.
The re-imagined space will offer stylish, affordable home essentials, such as dining sets, sofas, beds, and furniture.
But before the redesign begins, Room Perfected is clearing out its current stock at reduced prices.
WH SMITH
The stationary store is set to close two stores this weekend, in a blow to locals.
Branches in Halesowen, and Diss, will close on April 19.
It comes after WHSmithin January.
Around 5,000 people are employed across the high street shops.
Last month agreed to sell the chain to Modella Capital, with the stores eventually rebranded as TGJones.
