B&M shocked shoppers when they announced that one of their busiest stores would be closing.
The budget retailer axed the store after the shopping centre attached to the .
B&M’s store at The Square shopping centre in is the latest shop to put the shutters down for the last time.
The discount store was one of the most popular shops at the centre, which closed abruptly in March 2025.
Shoppers were asked to leave via an ominous announcement, while workers were handed a “very vague”; letter warning them to wait for updates.
It was later revealed that there was a “high fire safety risk”; at The Square, forcing the centre to shut “indefinitely”.
Unable to sell their wares, B&M decided to close their store.
Speaking about The Square's closure, developer Hammerson said: “We have been actively working to establish the nature of the extent of the remedial works required in order to reduce the risk.
“However, it is clear that the improvements and mitigations required for safe reopening are materially beyond what is reasonably practicable to implement.
“This would include the necessary vacation of Priory Square for a prolonged period of time to upgrade the electrical system.
“Following our careful review, and with the safety of all our tenants and members of the public as a priority, we have taken the decision that the only option is to close Priory Square indefinitely.”
The discount chain has weathered the current retail crisis better than many other stores, having undergone a major expansion in 2023 when it .
B&M is known for offering everything from to an while keeping costs down.
Other retailers have struggled due to the combined pressures of , the and the lingering effects of the .
WHSmith announced that it would , while chains like Aldi and Sports Direct make plans to axe one store each this month.
has announced that financial pressures have caused it to go bust, triggering an “everything must go sale”; before it closes for good.
The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has defended her economic record despite the wave of high street closures.
She has insisted that the October Budget and her Spring Statement were both necessary to stabilise the economy.
The Chancellor added that her decision to hike the National Living Wage by 6.7 per cent would give three million Brits a £1,400 pay rise.
