CLOSING THE BOOK
‘This is mad’ cry shoppers as high street giant with 1,400 stores to close ‘exceptional’ branch
It follows a string of closures by the retailer in recent months
SHOPPERS have been left disappointed after a popular high street retailer announced it will close one of its branches for good.
WHSmith has around 1,400 stores in the UK and 550 of these are located on the high street.
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It recently announced plans to open 15 new sites in airports, railway stations and hospitals.
But now, WHSmith is to pull the shutters down on its branch in Margate High Street, Kent, on April 20.
The Post Office located inside the branch will close.
Shoppers have taken to social media to share their sadness over the decision to close the shop, that some had described as "exceptional".
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Writing on Google reviews, one shopper wrote: "Great little WHSmiths and fantastic Post Office. The staff are exceptional, kind and flexible. They go out of their way to help."
One Facebook user said: "This is mad! Nightmare!"
Another added: "It’s so crazy. I use it all the time."
And a third cried: "We are losing it all. It so sad seeing it all go down hill."
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In a statement, a spokesperson for WHSmith said: ";Regrettably, it is no longer sustainable to continue to trade from this location and the difficult decision has been taken to close the store on Saturday, April 20.
“We would like to thank all our customers for their support and shopping with us.
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“We look forward to continuing to serve the local Margate community from other nearby stores including Westwood Cross Shopping Centre.
“We are also extremely grateful for the commitment of our in-store colleagues who we will support with this transition and redeploy to nearby stores, where possible.";
In June last year, WHSmith confirmed it would NOT be opening any more high street branches.
The retailer has previously said that opening more high-street stores "would just be a duplication" as the business wants to focus on growth.
A spokesperson for WHSmith told The Sun that the retailer has no plans to close any of the current high street stores.
However, we did see a WHSmith closure earlier this month in Alfreton, Derbyshire.
Just before the end of the last year in December the retailer also closed a store in Manchester.
A number of high street retailers have disappeared from high streets across Kent in recent months.
Boots closed its store in Margate on January 20, leaving the town with just one location.
Regetta closed its shop inside the Dockside Outlet Centre in Chatham on February 3.
Plus, Bensons for Beds pulled down the shutters on its branch in Sittingbourne Retail Park in December.
And Costa Coffee closed its branch on King Street, Maidstone on January 20.
More high street closures
Retailers have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year and more are on their way.
Several major brands have also collapsed, such as Wilko and Paperchase.
Many retailers have been struggling to get by, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Energy costs have risen, and more shoppers than ever are choosing to order online rather than head into stores.
This has left some retailers grappling with budgets and have no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
British retailers saw the amount of goods they sold drop last month at its fastest rate in three years as under-pressure families shifted part of their Christmas shop to earlier in the year.
Sales volumes dipped by 3.2% in December, data from the Office for National Statistics suggests, down from a rise of 1.4% a month before.
Several big-name chains are pulling down the shutters for the final time this month.
Lidl will be pulling the shutters down on its site in Thornaby.
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The bargain retailer has confirmed the sites in Stockton-on-Tees will shut on February 29.
Boots revealed it would be closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.
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