CLEARING OUT
‘End of an era’ sob shoppers as Next shuts another ‘fantastic’ store following string of closures
But it's not all bad news for the high street
SHOPPERS have let out a collective groan after Next pulled down the shutters on a "fantastic" store.
It comes after the fashion chain shuttered 11 sites across the UK since last September in a blow for shoppers.
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Next, which runs roughly 460 branches in the UK, has told The Sun it has closed its Outlet store in the Abbey Wood Retail Park, Bristol.
Outlet stores are different to normal Next stores and feature a selection of outlet products, past season collections and clearance items at discounted prices you won’t find anywhere else.
The fashion giant said the branch had shuttered after its lease ended.
Shoppers' next nearest Next branch will be at The Mall in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, roughly four miles away.
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Locals are full of praise for the branch which comes with plenty of five star reviews on Google.
One person said: "Service was fantastic compared to what you normally find in a clothes shop!"
Another added: "You can often find a genuine bargain here," while a third commented: "Very friendly, helpful, courteous, warm and nice staff."
Others online have been left gutted after hearing the branch has closed for good, with one branding it the "end of an era".
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It comes after Next shuttered a string of branches, including another Outlet store in Ipswich, Suffolk, on February 10.
Meanwhile, in September, it confirmed it would close 11 stores by the close of the year.
Six of the stores were not expected to reach their target margins, while two were site redevelopments.
The remaining three closed because agreements couldn't be reached with the sites' landlords.
It came after the fashion retailer closed a branch in Derry, Northern Ireland, in February last year, after its branch in Hatfield, Hertfordshire shut the month before.
The high street has taken a hit in recent years as shoppers increasingly turn to online retail.
High energy and wage costs and business rates have further piled pressure on retailers too.
Recent figures from the Centre for Retail Research reveal over 10,000 shops closed for good just in 2023, with roughly 120,000 jobs lost.
A number of notable brands have gone bust, including Wilko, Paperchase, and most recently The Body Shop.
Other retailers have been forced to close branches as well, including Iceland, Boots and Matalan.
But it's not all bad news for the high street as a number of chains are opening branches.
Asda is massively expanding its portfolio of smaller Express stores, with plans to open 110 by the end of February.
Earlier this month, Primark confirmed plans to open new branches and invest and renovate more than a dozen of its existing shops.
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Meanwhile, Wilko has made a comeback on the high street, opening stores in Plymouth, Luton and Exeter before the end of last year.
And in January, discounter chain B&M said it had plans to open 17 new sites in 2024, with some set to open imminently.
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