Overview
- The retailer’s estate fell from 297 to 269 shops in the 52 weeks to September 2025 as revenue declined to £149.1 million.
- Chairman Charles Smith linked weaker trading to a slide in consumer confidence after the October 2024 Budget alongside inflation, higher interest rates and reduced disposable income.
- Management cited rising employer National Insurance, higher business rates, wage pressure and poor weather as reasons for closures, with 21 branches shutting in the first half of the year.
- Despite exits, the company continued to reshape its footprint by opening 11 new stores and refurbishing six locations.
- A full list of closures has not been published, though reports point to sites in Bexhill, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Burgess Hill, Watford, Stoke-on-Trent and Inverness, while other retailers warn of store cuts and trade bodies call for business-rates reform.