Branches of Homesense, Wetherspoons, Halifax, and Barclays are set to close some of their branches in Wales. The major banks and retailers are expected to close their doors in different areas across the country.
The net shop closure rate in Wales reached a six-year high in 2021, with analysis from professional advisory firm PwC and The Local Data Company (LDC) reporting that there were 384 openings and 786 closures in Wales in 2021 - a net loss of 402. Figures from the Centre for Retail Research show that around 15,000 stores across UK high streets are expected to close this year, with the Professor Joshua Bamfield, the director, saying that "big hitters" could also go under.
House of Fraser in Cardiff is expected to close after recently launching a major clearance sale, however, no official announcement has yet been made regarding the closure. You can find out more here.
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Homesense
TK Maxx and Homesense will be closing stores over the next few weeks, including Homesense in Swansea. Homesense is a subsidiary of TK Maxx, selling a variety of homeware pieces. Its Swansea site in Parc Fforestfach is one of three TK Maxx sites closing, with the others being located in Manchester's Arndale Shopping Centre (Homesense) and in Edinburgh's Meadowbank shopping centre (TK Maxx).
The spokesperson for TK Maxx said: "Our senior managers have been in store supporting the team. We’re currently in consultation with all affected associates and our intention is that all associates will be offered roles in other local TK Maxx or Homesense stores."
Wetherspoons
The popular pub chain has announced that 19 pubs have been sold off and that 35 hostelries have been put on the market. The pub chain's sales fell by 1.1 per cent, it reported on November 6, 2022, in comparison to trading before the pandemic in 2019.
From February, 10 pubs across the UK are set to close, including the North and South Wales Bank in Wrexham. The 35 other pubs for sale are located all over the UK. There are 35 Wetherspoons pubs up for sale across the UK.
Halifax
The Lloyd's Banking Group, which also owns Halifax, is shutting 18 Halifax branches across the UK, including one Welsh site. Bangor's High Street branch of Halifax will be shutting its doors on April 17 this year.
A spokesman said that customer visits to the affected bank branches have dropped by around 60% on average, forcing them to shut their doors, the Mirror reports. The banks due to shut are all within a third of a mile of at least one free-to-use cashpoint and a Post Office.
Barclays
The major bank has announced the closure of 15 branches across the UK, including one in Wales. The Ely Valley Road, Talbot Green branch is set to close on May 5. Eleven Barclays branches were already earmarked for closure this year, taking the total number of sites closing their doors across the UK to 26.
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