Fashion chain with 30 branches abruptly closes store as shoppers say high street has become a ‘graveyard’

A FASHION chain has closed a store for good as shoppers say the high street has become a “graveyard”.

Weird Fish has around 30 branches across the UK and was sold by Next last year.

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The retailer has closed its Canterbury store just two years since it first welcomed customers, located at Unit 5 of Marlowe Arcade.

The closure was a commercial decision due to the landlord of the store “redeveloping”.

A spokesperson from Weird Fish said: “The landlord is redeveloping this unit and the adjacent one, which meant they needed the space back which didn’t work for us commercially.

“We are however very keen to find another suitable site in Canterbury at the earliest opportunity. We also still have a store in Whitstable.”

It had taken over from women’s shop Hobbs in 2022 and stocks clothing for both men and women.

Shoppers have taken to social media to share their disappointment over the store’s closure.

One user said: “How weird.”

Another commented: “I like there clothes and have bought several bits from their website.”

And: “One day there won’t be any shops.”

A family-run business called “The Elder Tree” is set to take over the unit in the Arcade, and it’s estimated the shop will open towards the end of September, KentLive reports.

Weird Fish, which sells items on Next’s website was preparing new outlets last November – and said market towns, city centres and holiday resorts were being targeted.

The Lake District in Cumbria and surrounding areas such as Liverpool and Manchester were among priority areas ahead.

The company is celebrating a 50 per cent surge in retail sales over the past year, taking revenue to £9.8million.

It had already launched eight extra shops in 2023 – including in Ambleside in Cumbria, Boscastle in Cornwall and Evesham in Worcestershire.

Others openings came in Southwold and Aldeburgh in Suffolk, St David’s in Pembrokeshire in Wales, Trentham in Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire and Whitstable in Kent.

Managing director John Stockton said: “We looked specifically for resort locations where people don’t only go to shop but they are going for the weekend or vacations.

“If you think about the Lake District, you’ve got some big conurbations like Manchester and Liverpool and the Peak District has Sheffield, Derby and it’s not far from Leicester.

“These stores are surrounded by populations that like to go the Lakes and The Peaks as leisure destinations.”

It comes after Tresspass, which runs around 170 UK branches, confirmed last summer it would pull down the shutters on half a dozen branches – including Canterbury.

On top of this Lidl closed three branches in Canterbury early last year on Drayton Road, Mile Close and Sturry Road.

WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING ON THE HIGH STREET

It is not just outdoor clothing retailers that have been shuttering branches in recent years.

The high street has been hit hard with shoppers’ budgets squeezed due to soaring inflation and high mortgage and rental costs.

Retailers have also had to contend with higher energy and wage costs, as well as spiking business rates.

The trend towards online shopping has steadily been growing over the last decade too.

Figures from the Centre for Retail Research reveal online sales accounted for 10.6% of all retail sales in 2012 and 26.5% in 2022.

It added that retailers such as Next and John Lewis and Partners now make just a small percentage of their sales from physical branches.

It’s partly these factors that have seen some notable brands fall into administration since the start of 2023, including Wilko, Paperchase and Ted Baker.

Meanwhile, Boots said last summer it would massively consolidate its store portfolio down from 2,200 to 1,900.

It has already shuttered 253 of the stores, with a further 47 yet to welcome in customers for the final time.

But it’s not all been bad news for retailers as a number have been expanding their presence and latching on to shoppers’ needs for food, clothes and other products on the cheap.

Discount giant B&M has opened 27 branches this year, while Aldi has its eyes set on opening hundreds more stores in the coming years.

Lidl is also eyeing up potential sites where it is keen to open shops while Paperchase has since returned inside Tesco branches.

Retailers closing stores in 2024

RETAILERS have been hit by soaring inflation and a downturn in spending due to the cost of living crisis.

High energy costs and a move to shopping online are also taking their toll.

Some high street shops have closed due to businesses opening up in different locations such as larger retail parks.

Shops may also close due to a number of other reasons, such as rising rents.

We explain which retailers are closing in 2024:

• Argos – The brand announced plans to close 100 standalone UK branches last year as it looks to move away from the high street and focus on expanding its presence in supermarkets.
• B&Q – The chain has over 300 shops across the UK, with two stores closing this year due to leases not being renewed. It has plans to open more in 2024 too.
• Boots – The health and beauty chain announced that it would be closing 300 stores last July. Closures are ongoing and this will see the retailer’s estate reduced from 2,200 to 1,900 shops.
• Clintons – Clintons mulled plans to close 38 shops in a bid to avoid insolvency late last year. We’ve listed the stores affected.
• Costa Coffee – The caffeine giant has around 2,000 sites nationwide, so chances are you’ll have one near you. The chain has shut the doors to dozens of its sites recently. We’ve revealed which stores are due to close this year.
• Iceland – The supermarket has more than 900 stores but closed nearly two dozen sites in 2023, and more selected shops are due to shut.
• Lidl – The supermarket, which has 950 stores, is changing up shop locations, which has meant that some stores have to close. But the retailer is also looking to open 12 new supermarkets.
• M&S – M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, has been closing a string of branches across the country in a blow for shoppers. It’s not all bad news, though, because the chain also has big plans to open dozens of new shops.
• Trespass – The firm announced in July last year that it was closing six branches, but more are on the way.
• WHSmith – The retail giant, which runs over 1,100 stores, has shut eight stores since March 2023, but more are coming.

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