SHUTTING UP SHOP
Clarks store closures – which branches are shutting in the UK?
Check if your local is affected
ICONIC shoe chain Clarks has shut several stores this year, following a string of closures in 2023.
The high street giant was founded in 1825 and operated across 1,400 stores and franchises internationally at its peak.
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But as of July 2023, the brand had just 320 UK stores - with plenty more having shut since then.
Below we reveal the full list of Clarks sites which have already shut and those due to close this year.
Clarks has previously said it has a strong duty of care to all its employees, and is working closely with the store teams.
All is not lost for shoppers though, as the retailer has also relocated and opened new shops.
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The brand opened a new store on East Street in Taunton in April 2023 following the closure of its original high street store.
Clarks also opened up a new store in Newcastle's Eldon Square shopping centre on May 14 last year.
Which Clarks shops have closed?
A raft of Clarks stores brought down their shutters for good in 2022 and 2023, including:
- Kent in Ashford - end of 2022
- Gillingham, end of 2022
- Murraygate, Dundee - July 25, 2023
- Fareham shopping centre, Hampshire - August 5, 2023
- High Street, Inverness - end of September, 2023
- Grimsby - end of October, 2023
- Newport Retail Park - November, 2023
- Riverside Shopping Centre, Norwich - November, 2023
- Westwood Cross Shopping - mid November, 2023
- High Street, Newcastle - by end of 2023
- Bicester Village, Oxfordshire - December 31, 2023
- The Bridges Shopping Centre, Sunderland - date unknown
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So far in 2024, Clarks has also closed or announced it's shutting the following stores:
- Grove Shopping Centre, Witham - January 13, 2024
- Saddlers Shopping Centre, Walsall - February 10, 2024
- East Grinstead - March 24, 2024
- Abingdon, Oxfordshire - April 22, 2024
- Marlborough High Street - April 22, 2024
- Maidenhead - June 2024
Which other stores have we lost recently?
We have seen several big losses in the last 12 months including popular discounter Wilko and stationary brand Paperchase.
More recently, health and beauty chain The Body Shop fell into administration and announced the closure of many of its 200 stores.
Almost 500 staff are set to lose their jobs after 75 stores were earmarked for closure.
Plus, Ted Baker fell into administration in March 2024 too, with 15 stores having shut by April 19.
Other retailers such as Iceland, Boots and Matalan have been slimming down the number of stores they have on the high street.
Just this spring Boots is closing a total of nine sites, as part of its wider plans to get rid of 300 locations.
These closures will see the retailer's total shops reduced from 2,200 to 1,900.
This has upset a lot of locals in the affected towns, however, the health and beauty chain has said where stores are closing there is an alternative shop less than three miles away.
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Last year Argos started to put in place its plans to reduce the number of standalone stores and focus on opening more locations inside Sainsbury's supermarkets.
It closed 42 UK shops, including all 34 of its branches in the Republic of Ireland last June.
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