Full list of high street stores set to close in 2025 revealed
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The past year has been a difficult one for the British high street with dozens of shops shutting and beloved brands going under, and the trend looks set to continue in 2025. Many high streets have reported store closures due to dwindling footfall and less spending power due to the cost of living crisis, with recent research revealing almost 10,500 UK shops closed for the final time in 2023.
By the end of 2024, the Centre for Retail Research reported an additional 8,543 stores had closed by mid-November and nearly 250,000 retail jobs had been lost over two years. The start of 2025 is set to be no different either, with the likes of WHSmith, Monki and Millets all planning store closures.
![[LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 5: People walk past a Monki clothing store on December 5, 2024 in London, England. The fashion brand Monki, owned by Swedish retail giant H&M, has said it plans to close all its UK stores, or in some cases, merge them with Weekday, another brand in the company's portfolio. (Photo by Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234609234-28a4.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Here is a list of every retailer planning to close down shops in the new year:. Stationery giant WHSmith will close its Winton branch in Bournemouth, Dorset, on February 15, 2025. This follows the closure of the nearby Boscombe branch in June 2024. Over the past two years, the retailer has shuttered 10 stores, including locations in Manchester, Bicester, Somerset, and Sale.
![[Person out and about in the city centre passes The Entertainer toy shop on 29th December 2022 in Bath, United Kingdom. Bath is a city in the county of Somerset, known for and named after its Roman-built baths, and Georgian architecture made from the local honey coloured Bath Stone. The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987, and was later added to the transnational World Heritage Site known as the Great Spa Towns of Europe in 2021. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234609233-ca28.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Despite these closures WHSmith remains focused on growth, with plans to add 110 nw stores. with plans to open 110 new stores, including 15 in the UK and over 50 in the United States. The expansion will target high-traffic areas such as airports, railway stations, and hospitals.
![[Co-op external store sign]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GettyImages-1663544110.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The company is also partnering with Toys R Us to introduce toy concessions in some UK stores. However, cost-saving measures have been introduced to address a 4% drop in sales, with the retailer aiming to cut £10 million in expenses throughout the year.
![[NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME- ENGLAND- NOVEMBER 20: A close up of retail company, Millets sign on November 20, 2020 in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234609294-ffff.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
