High street clothing giant shuts ANOTHER store – see the full list of nine closing
A POPULAR children's clothing retailer is shutting another of its stores today - and it's the ninth to close in less than a year.
The JoJo Maman Bebe store in Haywards Heath is closing down for good in the latest blow to the high street.
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The reason for the closure has not been confirmed but shoppers have said it is "such a shame".
JoJo Maman Bebe sells baby and young children's clothing, maternity clothes and other essentials for parents.
One disappointed customer wrote on social media: "Shame. We got so many clothes for my daughter there. Great shop."
Another said: "A shame as I've literally just had my baby last week and it was handy!"
The retailer currently has 42 stores across the UK, including in London, Reading and York.
However, it has closed eight stores since May last year - and another is set to shut imminently.
The retailer's store in Chichester, West Sussex, has been flagged for closure although no reason or exact date has been given.
A spokesperson said at the time: "Unfortunately we are due to close our Chichester store.
"We are dedicated to supporting our employees through this transition and will provide assistance and resources to those affected."
The shop still appears to be open for the time being.
Here is the full list of stores that have shut in the last 11 months:
A spokesperson for JoJo Maman Bebe said: "While any store closure is challenging for us, we are focused on ensuring a smooth transition for our employees and customers.
"We are dedicated to supporting our employees through this transition and will provide assistance and resources to those affected.
"We encourage our customers in the affected areas to visit our website for information on nearby stores and to explore our online shopping options."
Asked whether it was considering reducing its high street presence, the company said: "Stores remain an important part of the JoJo Maman Bébé business and we have no plans to move solely online."
It continued: "Our focus will be to continue providing high-quality services, strengthening our remaining stores and expanding our omni-channel capabilities to meet the demands of our customers."
It's worth noting that shops don't necessarily close sites because they are struggling.
Sometimes they want to shift more online or they want to close stores that are underperforming other branches.
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025."
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
Rising costs, a shift to online shopping and a dip in consumer confidence have all impacted retailers, with even established names shuttering sites.
Well-known sites Wilko and Paperchase have collapsed in recent years, while Homebase saw many stores close after it was sold out of administration.
Health and beauty chain Boots is set to shut 10 stores in the coming weeks as part of wider plans to reduce its UK portfolio by 300 sites.
Meanwhile JD Sports has confirmed it will shut down 50 stores next year.
Plus, New Look has decided to axe nearly 100 branches as it battles challenges linked to the Autumn Budget tax changes.
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