FLAT TYRE
‘A real shame’, bike retailer with 70 UK locations to shut flagship shopping centre store in weeks
The British cycle retailer is loved by many but in recent months has closed other branches too
A MAJOR bike retailer with 70 sites nationwide has revealed it is set to shut its flagship shopping centre store very soon.
The Wiltshire site first opened its doors in March 2022 but will roll down the shutters for the final time, with a closing down sale already in place.
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Currently found at The Gateway Shopping Centre in Trowbridge, the Evans Cycles retail shop will remain open for Christmas and New Year.
Despite some exclusions, the store has already been spotted with yellow "closing down" posters in the windows offering 20 per cent off.
Shoppers hoping to nab discounted items will need to be quick as the site has been set to close in the first week of January.
Previous Google Reviews suggest the store will be missed by those who have headed there before.
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Someone said: "Great store. Clean tidy and very well stocked.
"Very helpful staff with fantastic knowledge about bikes.
"They loved my bright yellow fiveten freerider pros."
Another wrote: "Just recently bought a bike from here, the workers were absolutely amazing with showing us the difference in the trek marlin series and showing us what size bike I needed to get.
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"The bike was then ready for collection the next day."
Many revealed their disappointment and lack of surprise to the announcement on Facebook.
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One user commented: "That's a shame, but not surprised, hardly anyone goes to Gateway."
Another said: "I'm surprised it has lasted this long actually. Never see anyone in there."
Someone else put: "It's a bike shop? It's going to be expensive and I know 2 of the lads in there personally and they are really nice guys."
A fourth wrote: "I only go to those shops as I work nearby and just look around on my break."
It is not the first shop customers have had to wave goodbye to in recent months.
Budget store Poundland closed in the area in July of this year, leaving locals devastated.
It comes as one of many closures of the same retailer.
Earlier this year, Evans Cycles, owned by the Frasers Group revealed it was set to shut 70 branches across the UK.
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In Spring, it also closed a site in Fitzrovia shop west London.
The Sun has approached Frasers Group for comment.
Why are retailers closing stores?
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 coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre's director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is "less bad" than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
"The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend," Prof Bamfield said.
"Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult."
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023's biggest failures included Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.
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