Homeware chain with 80 locations to shut popular store as it launches closing down sale
A POPULAR homeware store is shutting its doors for good – but shoppers can grab a bargain before it goes.
The Homesense store in Stafford is closing down, with a huge 30% off sale launched.
Customers have just days to snap up deals before the shop shuts for good on Monday, March 31.
Shoppers took to social media to share their disappointment at the news.
One person posted: “30% off everything starting Thurs 27 March! Store closes on Monday.”
Another, tagging a friend, wrote: “Thought I better tag you as you loved this shop xx.”
A third added: “U like this store x.”
And one simply put: “So disappointed.”
The store, known for selling designer homeware at discount prices, has been a firm favourite with locals.
But despite its popularity, it won’t be sticking around.
Homesense is part of the same group as TK Maxx.
Shoppers can find everything from stylish furniture and lighting to rugs, kitchenware, and garden accessories.
The Homesense in Salisbury shut its doors in February, and locals weren’t very happy.
A number of big-name chains have been struggling to stay open in recent years.
Retail experts say soaring costs and the rise of online shopping have put huge pressure on traditional stores.
The closure is another blow for the British high street, which has already lost big names in recent years.
Many shoppers are ditching brick-and-mortar stores in favour of click-and-collect and home delivery.
With just days left, time is running out to grab a bargain before the doors close forever.
The store isn’t the only independent store closing its doors.
Daniel of Ealing is closing down after 120 years on the high street, marking the end of an era.
The retailer has launched a massive clearance sale, with up to 50% off as it clears out stock for good.
Salts, which is based on New Union Street in Coventry, is due to close on March 29 after being established more than 100 years ago in 1916.
Whilst, family-run furniture store, Pargeter’s Furniture, in Stourbridge in the West Midlands, revealed earlier this month that it will be closing for good when all stock has been sold.
Pargeter’s Furniture has been a staple of the high street since 1926.
Why are retailers closing stores?
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.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
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.”
Professor Bamfield has also 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.”