SEVERAL major high-street brands are closing shops for good across the UK from this week.
Retailers have been feeling the pinch since the pandemic while shoppers are cutting back spending due to soaring inflation.
When prices are going up it squeezes people's incomes, meaning many are forced to shop less - and that's bad news for shops, restaurants and pubs.
High energy costs and a shift to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
Some well-known retailers are shutting a handful of branches, while others are set to disappear completely from the high street.
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But not every retailer is shutting stores for good - some are expanding.
Next is opening two new outlet stores in England and Wales in April.
Discount retailer TK Maxx is reportedly on the hunt to open 28 new stores as part of expansion plans.
Poundland is also opening up 12 new stores across the UK this year.
But in the meantime, Cath Kidston, Clintons, M&S and M&Co are all bringing the shutters down at some stores this month.
Cath Kidston
Cath Kidston's four standalone stores are set to close within weeks, once all remaining stock is sold. These are located in:
- Piccadilly, London
- Ashford, Kent
- Cheshire Oaks, Ellesmere Port
- York Outlet, York
Cath Kidston's two concession stores, in Colne and Sheffield, will also shut up shop for good.
It comes after Next agreed to buy Cath Kidston, known for its kitsch floral designs, out of administration.
The high street giant bought the brand name, domain names and intellectual property for the business for £8.5million - but the offer didn't include the brand's shops.
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Clintons
Clintons the card company will be shutting another branch before the end of the month after closing its Gloucester store on April 1.
It follows three shops which permanently closed last year.
The shop in Fife will be disappearing forever on Saturday, April 8.
M&S
M&S is closing further stores this month after shutting its Fenchurch Street store in London on March 31 and its Meadowbank store in Edinburgh on April 1.
The retailer is shutting its store in Linthorpe Road, Middlesborough, which first opened more than 100 years ago, on April 15.
M&S is also shutting its branch in Castleford on Carlton Street by the end of April.
Further closures include Newport Road, Cardiff in 'spring', but an exact date has yet to be confirmed.
M&S in Eagles Meadow, Wrexham, will also bring down its shutters in autumn.
Another store in Deansgate, Bolton is also shutting up shop, but no time frame has been given.
M&Co
All 170 M&Co stores are set to close forever and some shops have already shut their doors for good.
It comes after the retailer, previously called Mackay’s, fell into administration for the second time in two years in December 2022.
Further store closures this month include:
- Upminster - Tuesday, April 11.
- Egham - Saturday, April 15
It comes after M&Co's Wick and Fort William stores closed for good on Saturday, March 25.
And six more M&Co stores brought the shutters down forever on Saturday, April 1 in:
- Lewes
- Gosport
- Belper
- Beccles
- Newquay
- Lerwick
M&Co's brand and intellectual property was sold to Yours Clothing but the stores weren't and are set to close.
More stores will bring the shutters down for good later on in April.
What other stores are closing this year?
A number of banks and building societies are set to close dozens of branches within days.
HSBC is closing 11 bank branches between April 18 and April 25.
Barclays will bring the shutters down on 22 branches between April 13 and April 28.
Halifax and Lloyds Bank are closing six branches each between April 17 and April 27.
NatWest is also closing six of its own branches between April 25 and April 27.
Nationwide is closing a single branch in Kingswood on April 20.
If you are worried about your local bank branch closing, you've got some options.
You can always switch to a different bank or building society that has a branch closest to you.
Or, if you don't want to switch, you can use one of the Post Office's 11,635 branches to carry out the most basic banking tasks.
Some banks run "mobile banking services" too where they bring a bus to your local area offering the services normally available at your nearest physical branch.
It's worth contacting your bank if you're struggling to get to your nearest branch to see if they offer such a service.