DOZENS of high street chains have closed sites over the last few months, and 23 more are shutting just this week.
Among the retailers which have pulled the shutters down on stores are Boots, Clarks and Iceland.
Other big names which have left the British high street include banks like Barclay, HSBC, NatWest and Santander.
It's not just stores and bank branches either, the hospitality sector has also been hit, seeing pubs like Wetherspoons and restaurants like Frankie & Benny's and Chiquito also shut their doors.
With costs high for shoppers it means that people have been cutting back on non-essentials and prices continue to skyrocket.
Businesses have been struggling to bounce back after Covid combined with rising energy bills, leading to this difficult time for the high street.
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There's also been a switch to online shopping for many consumers, meaning that brick and mortar shops have been finding it hard to bring in shoppers.
Several chains including New Look, Argos and Smyths are shutting up shops this week.
Below we reveal which sites are closing and when.
New Look
New Look is also bringing the shutters down on more of its shops this week.
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The fashion retailer is pulling down the shutters down on its branch in Littlehampton on today, August 6.
It will also close its shop within the Kings Chase Shopping Centre, Bristol later this week on August 9.
It comes after it closed four branches in July, and more earlier this year:
- Birmingham, Fort Shopping Park – January 9
- Trowbridge – January 23
- Coventry – January 29
- Birmingham, Bullring – January 30
- Walthamstow, London – February 4
- Northampton – February 15
- Witham – May 18
- Teesside Retail Park – July 7
- Middlesbrough – July 8
- Fosse Park Shopping Centre, Leicester – July 25
- White Rose Centre, Rhyl, Wales – July 25
It will also be shutting another site in Crossgates Shopping Centre, Leeds, later this month.
HSBC
HSBC customers have also been turning more to online services in recent years.
As a result, the chain is set to close dozens of branches, with more already shut for good this year.
On August 8 the big name bank will be shutting the following branches in England and Wales:
- Reigate
- North Finchley
- Cirencester
- Henley-On-Thames
- Denbigh (Wales)
A further 12 branches are closing their doors for a final time this month.
Customers can still use one of the Post Office’s 11,635 branches to perform basic banking tasks — but not open new bank accounts or take personal loans and mortgages.
Argos
Argos will be pulling the shutters down on a total of seven shops in August.
The homeware retailer has already closed a number of its UK stores as part of its plan to move away from the high street.
Argos, which is owned by Sainsbury's has a plan to close 100 stores across the UK in 2023/24.
Sainsbury's is moving many standalone stores into bigger Sainsbury's supermarkets as part of its strategy.
The Argos store in Grimsby Alexandria is due to relocate to Sainsbury's this week on August 9 and 10.
The retailer will also be closing its store in St Stephen's shopping centre in Hull on August 8.
A new branch in Sainsbury's Hessle will open the following day on August 9.
Later this month the Scunthorpe Argos will relocate on August 15 and 16.
Barclays
Huge banking provider Barclays is also set to shut six sites this week alone.
It comes after the bank confirmed more than 60 branches will be leaving the high street over the next five months.
The bank has also already closed hundreds of locations, with more set to take place early next year.
Here is the full list of Barclays branches closing this week:
- Bognor Regis – August 9
- Stirling (Scotland) – August 11
- Chelmsford – August 11
- Kidsgrove – August 11
- Eastleigh – August 11
- Prudhoe – August 11
Smyths Toys
Toy chain Smyths is to close its store in Fareham, Hampshire for a final time today.
It will mean the nearest stores for shoppers in the area will be in Hedge End and Portsmouth.
The Sun has contacted Smyths for comment and we will update this story once we hear back.
The toy shop currently has over 100 stores throughout the UK and Ireland.
You can find your closest site using the tool locator tool on its website.
NatWest
NatWest will be pulling down the shutters on five branches just this week.
It comes following further closures and the announcement of sites shutting later this summer too.
Here are all the NatWest branches leaving the British high street this week alone:
- Bournemouth – August 8
- Westbury on Trym – August 8
- Brighouse – August 9
- Fakenham – August 10
- Ryde – August 10
Iceland
Supermarket chain Iceland has already pulled down the shutters on just under a dozen shops this year.
But the retailer, which operates around 500 branches currently, plans to make one further closure in August.
Iceland will be shutting its branch in Fife on August 12.
It will then be closing another supermarket in September.
It comes following a string of closures in various areas of the country in recent months, including Wales, Bristol and the Isle of Wight.
Halifax
Big banking chain Halifax is also among the chains closing its doors this week.
The bank will be shutting its site in Tadcaster on August 8.
Another location in Denton will also be closing on August 30.
It comes following a string of closures already this year, will more to shut later this year.
You can find your nearest branch on the Halifax website, or find your closest Post Office online too.
Lloyds
Also closing branches this week is Lloyds, which will be pulling down the shutters on another location.
It comes after it shut its Chapeltown, Holloway Road and its Carlton branch at the end of last month.
The site closing one last time this week is Eckington on August 9.
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Meanwhile, here is the full list of shops closing in August.
And, all the bank branches shutting their doors in weeks.
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