A POPULAR shopping centre home to 30 pubs, restaurants and stores will stay shut after mysteriously closing three days ago.
Stunned customers were suddenly told to exit the popular site immediately on Tuesday night.
The Square Shopping Centre in Birmingham‘s Priory Square will now remain closed following a fire risk assessment, managers have said.
In a statement, published by the BBC, Priory Square said health and safety checks had been carried out.
This included an assessment of fire risk, following an initial recommendation the site would remain shut.
It said it expected a further update early next week.
West Midlands Fire Service also told Flying Eze there was an unconnected incident at a hotel in Priory Queensway on Tuesday, but the events are not linked.
The fire service denied involvement with The Square.
Matthew Eason, the landlord of The Grey Lantern pub, previously told BirminghamLive: “We were told [by the centre's management team] that we needed to be out by 7pm.
“They handed us a letter at 5.30pm which didn't leave us much time.
“The letter is very vague. It says we need to book a slot to get back in which suggests it won't be reopening any time soon.”
Mr Eason said the pub's manager was “accosted” by a security dog handlers when trying to enter the building on Wednesday.
A sign on the shopping centre dated March 25 revealed: “Priory Square is currently closed.
“All units are shut until further notice and updates will be provided in due course.
“We appreciate the disruption the closure will cause but health and safety remains our priority.”
It comes after a huge high street chain in Cambridge revealed it'll be shutting its doors for good on April 18.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
Highenergycosts and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
Sports Directwill be axing its Newmarket Road store inCambridge.
The store has launched a massive closing down sale, slashing prices to clear stock before it disappears for good.
Meanwhile a popular outdoor clothing chain is set to close yet another location in just days.
Trespassat at the Highcross shopping centre inLeicesteris next on the chopping block.
The shop will close its doors for the final time on Monday March 31.
The outdoor retailer previously announced the closure of six UK outlets, including branches inNorwichandSutton Coldfieldin 2023.
HIGH STREET STRUGGLES
It comes as other retailers, both independent and industry giants, continue to struggle.
Dozens of shops are set to close across the country before the end of the month in the latest blow to UK high streets.
Just a few months in to 2025 and it's already proving to be another tough year for many major brands.
Rising living costs – which mean shoppers have less cash to burn – and an increase in online shopping has battered retail in recent years.
Just this week former staple of the high street Quiz crashed into administration with the immediate closure of 23 stores.
New Look bosses made the decision to axe nearly 100 branches as they battle challenges linked to Autumn Budget tax changes.
Approximately a quarter of the retailer's 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire.
This equates to about 91 stores, with a significant impact on New Look's 8,000-strong workforce.
It's understood the latest drive to accelerate closures is driven by the upcoming increase in National Insurance contributions for employers.
The move, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in October, is expected to hit retailers hard – and the British Retail Consortium has predicted these changes will create a £2.3billion bill for the sector.
Meanwhile,the WHSmith brand name looksset to vanish from British high streets after 230 years.
In a fresh update, Boots UK also told Flying Eze that 253 stores have now shut as part of cost-cutting plans.
And,Homebaselaunched a big closing down sale as two more stores will shut amid 35 closures this month.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than halfofcompanies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, withworse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
