SHUTTERS DOWN
‘A great shame’ cry locals as bargain chain with 200 stores closes branch for good
Keep scrolling to learn about why stores are closing down
A MAJOR discount chain with over 200 stores across the UK will close one of its branches later this year.
The Original Factory Shop will shutter its site in Haverfordwest, Wales on December 14.
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A statement from the retailer, posted on social media read: "We are sorry to let you know our store will close its doors on December 14, 2024.
"We take this opportunity to thank all of the local community and our store colleagues for their support throughout our time here in Haverfordwest."
Talk of the fast-approaching closure has upset shoppers with one writing that they are "absolutely gutted".
Another wrote: "I will be so sad to see this lovely little shop going. Always such friendly, helpful staff."
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Meanwhile, a third said Haverfordwest will be like a "ghost town" following the closure, and a fourth described the move as a "great shame".
The Sun has approached The Original Factory Shop for comment.
It is not the first time locals have had to bid farewell to shops on their high street.
Back in June, bargain chain Savers pulled the shutters on its branch in the area.
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This came just months after charity shop Oxfam confirmed it would exit after it said it was no longer sustainable to run the store.
The store, which was located on Haverfordwest High Street in Wales, had been in the area since 1987.
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As for The Original Factory Shop, next month's closure will be just one of many carried out by the brand this year.
The discounter shuttered its branch in Deal, Kent in August and closed down on seven stores other stores in the months before that.
But it is not all bad news, with the brand opening a number of locations across the UK in October.
This includes locations in Ringwood and Perth.
What is happening to the high street?
High street retailers have struggled in recent years as shoppers increasingly turn to online retail.
High energy costs and business rates have hit retailers hard.
This has left some businesses grappling with budgets and having no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
Many Brits have turned to second-hand outlets such as Vinted and eBay, making things even harder for charity shops.
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Several well-known major brands have fallen into administration including Wilko and Paperchase.
Dobbies Garden Centre also said last month it would shut 17 stores before the end of the year to help shore up extra costs.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun's business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
Boss Stuart Machin recently said that when it relocated a tired store in Chesterfield to a new big store in a retail park half a mile away, its sales in the area rose by 103 per cent.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
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