The Co-Operative and WHSmith are among the high street retailers preparing to shut down dozens of locations in the months ahead in a blow to the economy.
Store closures are sweeping the UK as businesses struggle post-Covid with consumers increasingly opting to purchase goods and services online.
Central England Co-operative, which trades as Central Co-op, is a regional retailer which has around 200 stores across the English Midlands and East Anglia.
It should be noted that Central England Co-op is independent of the Co-operative Group but is part of the wider co-operative movement.
Some 19 sites will cease operating across Middle England due to being “financially unsustainable for some time”.
WHSmith has confirmed that one of its stores will close for good in 2025 after more than half a century.
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Multiple stores are set to close in the months ahead
PA / GETTY
Here is a full list of the Central Co-op stores that have been earmarked for closure in the months ahead:
- Barnby Dun, High Street – South Yorkshire
- Broughton, High St – Northamptonshire
- Croft, Pochin Street – Leicestershire
- Desborough, Hill Top, Braybrooke Road – Northamptonshire
- Dudley, Overfield Road – West Midlands
- Eastwood, Nottingham Road – Nottinghamshire
- Enderby, Mill Lane – Leicestershire
- Kingstanding, Hawthorn Road – West Midlands
- Leicester, Evington Rd – Leicestershire
- Leicester, Narborough Rd – Leicestershire
- Narborough, Station Road – Leicestershire
- Peterborough, Mayors Walk – Cambridgeshire
- Sprowston, Chartwell Road – Norfolk
- Stafford, Baswich Lane – Staffordshire
- Wigston, Blaby Road – Leicestershire
- Yardley, Stoney Lane – West Midlands
- Cromer, Middlebrook Way – Norfolk
- Erdington, High Street – West Midlands
- Shepshed, Hallcroft – Leicestershire
Here is the location of the WHSmith store that is also set to close in the months ahead:
- The Malls shopping centre – Basingstoke.
- Alfreton, Derbyshire – January, 2024
- Ramsgate, Kent – January, 2024
- Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland – February, 2024
- Nantwich, South Cheshire – February, 2024
- Margate, Kent – April 20, 2024
- Sale, Manchester – September 2024.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
High streets have been hit by a wave of store closures since the pandemic, on top of banks shutting down PA
According to research conducted by PwC, the UK economy saw 38 stores closing per day last year compared to 22 store openings.
Lisa Hooker, the leader of Industry for Consumer Markets at PwC UK, has urged businesses to be cautious in navigating the volatile high street market.
She explained: “The good news is that the rate of net closures has stabilised and consumers will always want somewhere to grab a coffee, last minute present or enjoy the experience of in-store shopping.
“But there are still more closures than openings impacting our high streets, so we need all stakeholders including policymakers and communities to play a role in supporting, repurposing and investing in those struggling locations. Spaces need to adapt to the hybrid world and satisfy consumer trends for convenience, variety and fun, creating spaces that fill an immediate need or feel exciting for consumers to step into.”