Shoe chain to shut branch within HOURS after 60 years of business in ‘another loss’ for the high street
AFTER 60 years of business, a beloved shoe chain branch is set to close in just hours.
“Locals lament yet another loss on the high street and urge, “People need to start supporting independent businesses before we lose them all.”
A.G. Meek is shutting a branch on Eastgate Street, Gloucester, today.
The closure will mean the chain has just four remaining sites, all of which are in Wales.
Owner David Meek said the shop is shutting due to the upcoming employer National Insurance Contributions, a decrease in business rate relief and lower footfall.
From this month the rate of National Insurance that employers must pay will rise from 13.8% to 15%.
Meanwhile, the threshold at which they are paid will be lowered from £9,100 to £5,000.
Plus an existing discount on retail business rates will fall from 75% to 40%.
In a post on Facebook, Mr Meek said: “We have been struggling with rapidly rising costs and reduced footfall since the pandemic and the shop has not been covering its costs.
“I have held off hoping things would improve, but the recent budget is a disaster for small businesses employing lots of part time staff like ours.
“Our National Insurance on one shop and our business rates are increasing by £5,000 a year each from April and this is unsustainable.
The chain launched a closing down sale, with discounts available on a range of branded shoes.
Customers who made a purchase could also get a £10 voucher to use on the A.G. Meek website or at one of the retailer’s other branches in south Wales.
Dozens of disappointed shoppers have flooded to the comment section of the Facebook post to share their woes.
One person said: “Oh no. So sad. Another loss for Gloucester. So sorry to hear this A.G. Meek.”
Followed by a second: “Sorry to hear this A.G. Meek – times on the high street are tough. Wishing you and all the staff every success for the future.”
A third said: “This is such bad news for Gloucester but a common story around UK towns and cities.”
Then a fourth said: “This is so sad. People really do need to start using independent businesses before we lose them all.”
Meanwhile a fifth said: “This is so sad to read as your business is part of the fabric of Gloucester’s history.
“Sorry to hear your closing. I wish you all the best for the future.”
Others shared memories of shopping at A.G. Meek for handbags, gloves, and even wedding shoes.
A.G. Meek is set to close another branch
A.G. Meek opened its first shop in Cardiff in 1912.
It became popular in the 1950s for its Meek’s Sets, which includes shoes, bags and gloves.
However, in another recent Facebook post, A.G. Meek announced the closure of its Albany Road branch in Cardiff.
The spokesperson added they want to “concentrate their business” into their St David’s Centre Shop in Cardiff City Centre and their newest shop in Cwmbran Centre.
The Albany Road store will close its doors for good in mid June.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April 2025, 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.
In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year