The high street is a shadow of its former self post Covid. As younger generations prefer shopping online many towns and cities are finding that once-bustling shopping districts are turning into ghost towns.
Argos, B&M and Iceland announced a selection of store closures at the end of this month. Elsewhere, M&S, Homesense and M&Co will also close the shutters on some brick-and-mortar locations.
Inflation and energy bills are driving forces increasing the costs for businesses. Shoppers are also being hit with the same pressures leaving them with less money to spend.
About 47 shops on average pulled down their shutters for the final time every day last year, according to analysis from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). It found a total of 17,145 shops on high streets and in other locations closed for good over 2022.
Here are all the high street shops closing sites this month, as reported by The Mirror.
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Argos
Argos is set to close its standalone store in the Pyramids Shopping Centre, in Birkenhead, Merseyside, on March 22. The high street chain shut its Coatbridge branch in Lanarkshire, Scotland on March 11.
Argos will close its Cardiff Bay store in July, with its Newport, Wales, branch also to shut forever in the summer. It comes as part of wider plans to move more standalone sites into Sainsbury's stores.
B&M
B&M is closing its Kilmarnock store in Queens Drive Retail Park on March 26. It comes after the bargain chain opened a larger store in Glencairn Retail Park last month.
B&M will also shut its Bristol shop in Broadwalk Shopping Centre on March 29. It closed its store in the Maesglas Retail Park in Newport, Wales on March 4.
However, the discount retailer is planning on opening more stores this year. B&M opened a new store in Barnsley on March 4 and it will soon take over the old Debenhams site in Scunthorpe
Iceland
Iceland is to close three sites by the end of March. Its shops in South Street, Newport, on the Isle of Wight, and in St Catherine’s Place, Bedminster, Bristol, on March 25.
Iceland will then close its store in the Deiniol Centre, Bangor, Wales on March 27. The frozen foods retailer shut its site in the White Rose Centre in Rhyl on March 14.
Clintons
Clintons Cards will close its shop on King Street, Whitehaven, on March 19. Its store on Market Street in Bolton is also set to close by the end of the month, although a specific date has not been confirmed.
Homesense
Homesense is closing its Swansea branch in March, but an exact date has yet to be confirmed. It comes after the Homesense store in Manchester Arndale shut earlier this month.
Marks and Spencer
M&S will close its Fenchurch Street store in London on March 31. The posh supermarket announced last year that it was closing 67 of its larger shops as part of a huge overhaul of its business.
M&Co
M&Co is closing its Wick and Fort William stores on March 25. Six more sites will follow on April 1, with M&Co sites in Lewes, Gosport, Belper, Beccles, Newquay and Lerwick all to shut.
It comes after fell into administration for the second time in two years in December 2022.
