Next to close all 700 stores from 6pm tonight because of coronavirus

HIGH street fashion retailer Next has announced it’s closing all 700 of its UK stores from tonight due to coronavirus.

The clothing company said stores will temporarily close from 6pm today, March 23, until further notice.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

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Next confirmed the news in a statement on its Twitter page.

The retailer said: “We have made the decision to close our stores from today, Monday 23rd March at 6pm, until further notice.

“We’d like to take the opportunity to thank all of our staff who continue to be incredibly supportive of Next and we would also like to let customers know that we do appreciate their loyal support.”

Next said customers will be able to shop online as normal while stores are closed.

All deliveries and returns will be free of charge during this time.

It’s not clear when stores are expected to open again.

We’ve asked if staff will be paid while shops are shut and we’ll update this article when we know more.

Next joins a long list of businesses that have been forced to close doors due to the coronavirus epidemic.

Today has seen Debenhams and The Entertainer announce they were keeping stores shut for the foreseeable to protect customers and staff.

Nando’s and Costa Coffee have also joined McDonald’s in closing down restaurants due to COVID-19.

We’ve got a full list of which stores have closed due to coronavirus here.

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We’ve made a round-up of today’s opening hours of the UK’s supermarkets.