THE LAST RITES

The barren shop floors of fallen retail giant BHS as bargain hunters grab last of the stock

Shoppers visited the large shop which filled two floors to grab last minute bargins

THESE pictures show the desolate shop floor of a doomed BHS store as shoppers arrived to snap up last minute bargains.

The slogan ‘Everything Must Go’ was meant literally as clothes, mannequins and even shelves were strewn around with discounts of up to 70 per cent off.

SWNS:South West News Service
Empty shelves and blank walls fill the once bustling store as a shopper finds a final bargain or two

SWNS:South West News Service
Mannequins are up for sale as everything must go before the store shuts the doors

SWNS:South West News Service
Store fixtures and equipment are for sale also as the shop strips everything to sell

SWNS:South West News Service
Last minute bargains are snapped up ahead of the closure – thought to be Wednesday

SWNS:South West News Service
The huge store which has sat in this Cambridge shopping centre for years is bowing out

Very few staff could be seen working at the shop in Cambridge, Cambs., on Monday while a handful of customers browsed the scarce stock before the store disappeared from the high street for good.

Mum-of-one Stacey Smith, 28, said: “It was all very subdued in there to be honest, there was very little stock left and it all just felt empty.

“There were barely any staff working and the ones who were just seemed dejected. I can’t imagine it’s a fun place to work at the moment, knowing you’re going to lose your job.

“All there was left to buy was cushions and candles and ladies’ underwear. It’s a sorry state of affairs really.”

A House of Commons paper into the collapsed chain last week delivered a withering verdict on the high street’s biggest tycoon – previous owner Sir Philip Green, who famously sold the chain for £1.

The Department of Work and Pensions and Business Committees report branded the fiasco “the unacceptable face of capitalism”.

RELATED STORIES

EU BE CAREFUL
Snub Brussels or you risk Trump tariffs, Keir Starmer warned
PLANE STUPID
Miliband lobbied for airport in backyard while campaigning against Heathrow

Sir Philip bought BHS for £200 million in March 2000, but last year the company was sold to city investors, Retail Acquisitions, for £1 by the Arcadia Group.

He has come under fire for telling an employee “I own you” and has been called “evil” by a Labour MP calling for him to “face up” to his actions in the fallout of the superstore’s collapse.

Stacey said the BHS store in Cambridge is due to close this week.

“There were signs up everywhere to say it would be closed by Wednesday,” she said.

“I don’t know what will happen to the space now but it’s in a really good location within the shopping centre and within Cambridge so I’m sure someone will snap it up.

“I’ve always liked what BHS have to offer so I will definitely be sad to see it go.”

SWNS:South West News Service
Everything is reduced and on sale as customers are encouraged to grab whatever they can to help the store close down

SWNS:South West News Service
Plates, bowels and dishes are still available to grab for a bargain price as the store clears out

SWNS:South West News Service
The once busy store is empty and bleak as staff and stock are cleared out ahead of the closure

SWNS:South West News Service
Some items still remain ahead of the closure – thought to be on Wednesday – for this Cambridge BHS

SWNS:South West News Service
Very few staff could be seen working at the shop in Cambridge, Cambs., on Monday while a handful of customers browsed the scarce stock before the store disappeared from the high street for good

The mass sale comes after news that all 164 BHS stores in the UK will cease trading by August 30.

Most stores are offering 50 per cent discounts on stock in light of the company’s devastating demise, which comes after business tycoon Green controversially sold the company for £1 last year.

Calls have been made for the multi-millionaire to lose his knighthood over the ongoing saga – which has seen thousands of hard-working Brits in the lurch.

The firm is now looking to sell the stores off shop by shop.

 


We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368.


 

Exit mobile version