River Island Sets Jan. 31 Closures for Hereford and Didcot as UK Store Pullback Widens

Overview

• River Island says 27 UK stores will close this month under a restructuring of its retail estate.
• The Hereford Old Market and Didcot Orchard Centre branches are scheduled to shut on January 31.
• The Oxford Westgate store has already closed, with other locations trading through closing-down sales.
• Company leaders cite a prolonged shift to online shopping alongside sharply higher operating costs as the drivers.
• The business continues to operate roughly 230 UK stores with about 5,500 employees while negotiating lower rents for sites that remain open.