As another retail chain announces it will be shutting some shops for good, shoppers want to know which Clintons stores are closing.
2023 is already proving to be a tough year for the high street, with popular variety goods chain B&M closing stores, as well as catalogue retailer Argos shutting some sites, and restaurants have been affected too - causing some Frankie & Benny's to close down as well.
With the cost of living crisis forcing shoppers to tighten their purse strings, it's an unforgiving climate for the retail sector at the moment. Now, Clintons is the latest company to announce store closures, and it comes after the chain was forced to shut a number of sites just a few years ago.
Which Clintons stores are closing? Full list
- Market Street, Bolton - TBC
- King Street, Whitehaven - March 19
- Mercat shopping centre, Kirkcaldy - April 8
Clintons is due to close stores on Bolton, Whitehaven and Kirkcaldy, and it is yet to confirm whether it plans to close any more shops this year. The news comes after three of its stores were permanently closed in 2022 - its Market Harborough site closed in January last year, following which the Ayr branch closed on April 12 and the Dorchester store shut down on December 29.
This is after 66 Clintons stores closed in 2019 to avoid collapse, after which the brand and its assets were bought by a new company called Esquire Retail Limited - run by the same family behind Clintons’ former parent company American Greetings.
The deal saved 2,500 jobs and 334 stores across the UK, but by January 2022 only 2,000 employees remained and 238 shops were operating. The Clintons website currently states that there are circa 225 stores now operating in the UK.
Why are Clintons closing stores?
The reason for the most recent closures has not been confirmed by Clintons, and the company is also yet to comment on the future of the staff who work in the affected stores.
However, the retail chain has struggled in recent years due in part to high business rates as well as a change in people's shopping habits. Not only has the cost of living crisis led to shoppers tightening their belts, more and more people are moving to online retailers such as Moonpig and Funky Pigeon.
These challenges are not unique to Clintons, and more high street brands are expected to announce closures over the next year.
As reported by The Guardian, 2022 was particularly tough for Britain's retail sector, when around 47 shops on average pulled down their shutters for the final time every day, and 151,474 retail jobs were lost.
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