‘What is happening’ groan shoppers as retailers including Next and Boots set to close stores this week – see the list

TWO major retailers are closing stores between them this week as shoppers cry "what is happening".

Boots and Next are shutting three branches on January 13, leaving local residents devastated.

Pharmacy chain Boots is pulling down the shutters on its store in Lothian, Scotland, on January 13, .

Meanwhile, its branch in Bryn, Wigan, is closing on the same date.

Fashion retailer Next is welcoming in customers to its Hatfield branch for the final time on January 13.

This is the full list of closures:

• Boots, Lothian, Scotland - January 13
• Boots, Bryn - January 13
• Next, Hatfield - January 13

The news of the closures has been met with devastation from local residents, as the high street takes a hit.

Commenting on the Boots Bryn closure, one shopper said: "It's devastating.

"This Boots is at the hub of the local community and always extremely busy."

Meanwhile, reacting to the Next closure in Hatfield, one shopper said: "Gutted, I love this store."

A second added: "What is happening to our town," and a third commented: "Sad news for all the staff."

It's not the first time Next and Boots have closed branches in recent weeks, or announced plans to shut stores.

Next is set to close a store in Derry, Northern Ireland, next month, after it shut its branch in .

In September 2023, the retailer confirmed plans to close 11 stores across the whole year in a blow to shoppers.

The chain said six stores were closing because it did not expect them to reach their target margins.

Two were due to site redevelopments and the remaining three were because an agreement couldn't be reached with the site's landlord.

In June last year, Boots announced it would be massively consolidating its portfolio of 2,200 stores to 1,900 branches.

It has already shut a number of branches, including in Colwyn Bay and Rhos on Sea in Wales.

It comes as figures from the Centre for Retail Research today revealed over 10,000 shops and almost 120,000 retail jobs were lost last year, in a major blow for the high street.

But it's not all bad news as a number of retailers have been expanding, like Poundland.

Supermarket chain Iceland has been opening stores, with some under the Iceland Local brand.

Primark and B&M have all been growing their portfolios too, with B&M acquiring 51 former Wilko sites.

Meanwhile, Paperchase has relaunched 250 concession stores in Tesco branches and Wilko has returned to the high street after both retailers fell into administration.