Major department store set to close branch within days as ‘another big shop’ vanishes from busy high street
- House of Fraser has confirmed that one store will be closing on Monday
- Another branch will close at the end of September
- It’s store numbers have halved in size after bought out of administration
Another major department store is set to close more shops over the following months, with one closure as early as next week.
House of Fraser has confirmed that one store will be closing on Monday, bringing another devastating blow to the high street.
The British department store will shut it’s Solihull branch for good on August 28, with a second store in Guildford closing on September 30.
Reduction signs appeared in the windows of the Solihull shop earlier in the summer confirming it’s closure, though until now the exact date had been a mystery.
The store is located in Mell Sqaure, where closing down signs have also been spotted in the window of the Trespass store.
House of Fraser has confirmed that one store will be closing on Monday, bringing another devastating blow to the high street
Pictured: The Solihull branch of House of Fraser in Mell Square, that will close on Monday
According to Birmingham Live, there are now ’empty floors, vast spaces where display units once were, and tables piled high with cut-price items’.
House of Fraser has almost halved in size going from 59 to 31 stores after it was bought out of administration by Frasers in 2018.
Frasers owns huge names such as Sports Direct, Flannels and Jack Wills – the group recently boosted it’s stake in the fast fashion brand Boohoo from 6.78 per cent to just over 7.8 percent.
However, when it comes to House of Fraser, eight stores have shut in the past year alone.
Michael Murray, the chief executive of Frasers, explained that the group’s department store portfolio was ‘continually under review.’
Previous store closures include central London, Leeds, Huddersfield and High Wycombe.
The Solihull store has had items on sale for a few months now – brands you can shop include Ted Baker, Elizabeth Arden, Calvin Klein and more.
Earlier this month the sale was marked at 20% off, though social media posts suggest it’s now up to 60% off some items.
It’s worth heading down to grab a bargain before Monday if you live locally – as well as clothing and other products, there are also toys on sale.
Pictured: House of Fraser Oxford Street which closed in January last year
Pictured: Mell Sqaure in Solihull where the closing House of Fraser store is located
READ MORE: Some House of Fraser department stores ‘under review’, says owner
A spokesperson from Fraser Group told Birmingham Live ‘It is with regret that we announce House of Fraser Solihull will be closing on August 28, 2023.
‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their hard work and dedication. Where possible, we are committed to finding new roles within the Group for staff’.
Locals have taken to social media to comment on the store’s closure.
One person wrote ‘Worked at the store in 1986 when I was 16 and spent five happy years there. Best wishes to the Solihull staff. End of an era.’
Another added ‘A real shame. Hopefully the building gets put to good use’.
Commenting on the upcoming closure of the Guildford store, someone wrote ‘That will leave a big gap in the high street,’ while another added ‘So sad to hear, Guildford losing another store’.
The closures come after six thousand shops have closed down in Britain in the last five years due to an increase in online shopping and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wilko going into administration was the latest blow – the collapsed chain has been holding sales at stores across the country as it tries to shift stock ahead of a possible total closure.
This week it launched a massive new sale today, offering up to 50% off hundreds of items including Christmas essentials, stationery and toys.
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