High street stores closing down in UK as over 400 shops to suddenly disappear

The UK high street is undergoing a dramatic transformation, and we are set to lose hundreds of popular branches as 2025 draws to a close. More than 400 shops are expected to disappear from our town centres, after major brands, charities, banks, pubs and coffee shops announced extensive closures due to rising costs, inflation, and a steady drop in footfall.

Since the pandemic, the British high street has seen a raft of closures driven by the cost-of-living crisis - all of which have pushed more consumers to shop online. Marks & Spencer, Poundland, New Look, Claire's, and Wetherspoons are just some of the well-known names cutting down on their number of branches.

Store closures Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer recently announced the closure of 11 of its cafes as part of a store restructure. The retailer has more than 300 food shops across the country, and many have cafes in them. However, the closures will only affect less than 4% of the supermarket's stores. Some of the affected locations include Anlaby, in Hull, and Martlesham Heath, in Ipswich.

This comes as M&S recently closed its Wolverhampton city centre store on Dudley Street. The iconic store, which opened in 1929, permanently closed down on September 27.

Starbucks

Starbucks has closed 10 of its UK stores this month as part of a huge global restructure. The coffee chain is currently working on a massive turnaround plan in order to revive sales and speed up slow service.

A Starbucks spokesperson confirmed that 10 UK stores have already closed this month. It added that the firm had carried out a full review of its store portfolio to make sure its branches are "correctly located, generating appropriate levels of foot traffic and operating in the right formats".

Lloyds, NatWest, Halifax, Santander, and Barclays

Two dozen bank branches are set to close across the UK next month. Closures have been ordered by several major banks, including Lloyds, NatWest, Halifax, Santander, and Barclays. A total of 24 banks are set to shut in November, with branches affected in England, Wales and Scotland. This includes major locations such as Bristol, Manchester, and Sheffield. The latest wave of closures starts on November 3 with the Bank of Scotland branch in Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway, closing, with more dotted throughout the month.

More than 500 banks will have shuttered in 2025 before the end of the year. There are already dozens more planned for 2026.

Poundland

Poundland will shut 16 stores before the end of this year. The bargain retailer already announced a major restructure in June with plans to shut 68 shops and two warehouses. However, it has added a further 10 stores to the list, with 13 branches set to disappear in November, and three set to shut in December. All of the earmarked sites are in England.

Having started with around 800 stores before the major closures, the number is expected to dwindle to around 650 or 700 as leases expire. By September, the high street staple had already closed 57 stores in its estate.

New Look

The fashion brand is set to close another 11 stores before the end of the year. While not all locations have been disclosed, the business has confirmed that a store in Lewes, Sussex, will be shut permanently next month.

A New Look spokesperson said: "Our store in Lewes is set to close on November 8. We would like to thank all of our colleagues and the local community for their support over the years. We hope customers continue to shop with us online at newlook.com, where our full product ranges can be found."

Claire's

Claire's is expected to axe 145 of its stores after the company fell into administration in September. It is not known when the stores will close, but it is believed that many of them will take place towards the end of November and throughout December.

Wetherspoon

Two Wetherspoon pubs are also set to close. The Water Gate in Barnstaple, Devon, will close on November 9, while, just a week before, the Baxter's Court in Hackney, London, will shut.

Both of the pubs, along with The Babington Arms in Derby, Kentish Drovers in Peckham, The Grey Friar in Preston, and The William Jameson in Sunderland, were put up for sale by Wetherspoons in June. The pubs will continue to trade as Spoons until they are sold.

Cancer Research

Cancer Research UK has announced plans to close nearly 200 of its shops over the next 18 months. The charity said it will scale back its main high street network to around 320 stores, with 90 closures scheduled by May 2026 and up to 100 more expected by April 2027.

Decisions on which shops to close will be based on factors such as financial performance, lease agreements, and location. The charity will also shut down its online marketplace in early 2026. Despite the downsizing, the charity intends to expand its portfolio of larger, out-of-town "superstores", adding 12 more to its existing 46 by 2028.

Store openings Bodycare

Bodycare plans to reopen stores following last month's annoucement that the company fell into administration. The health and beauty chain has been saved by the former Body Shop CEO, and will be reopening UK stores next year.

An investment group led by Charles Denton will be taking control of Bodycare's brand and intellectual property, and as part of the deal 30 to 50 shops will be relaunched during the first stage. It has also been reported that several hundred employees will be brought back on.

Asda

Asda has confirmed it is set to open nine Express convenience stores over the course of the next few days.

The vast majority are in London, though some are coming to locations outside the capital. Locations in London include Tower Bridge, Greenwich, Limehouse Station, Haringey, Deptford, Whetstone, and Finsbury Park station (former Arsenal FC club shop).

Stores will also be opening in Botley and Stoke.

Anthropologie

US fashion retailer Anthropologie is opening three new stores in the UK before the end of the year. A Glasgow store is opening on November 12, 2025, and a Liverpool store on November 5, 2025. A new Manchester store is also planned for November 26, 2025.

The Range

The owner of The Range is planning to open a string of new stores in former Homebase outlets around the UK.

CDS Superstores, parent company of the Plymouth-based retailer, acquired 70 outlets when the DIY chain fell into administration last year. A total of nine locations have already been announced by the retailer with another three opening in Penge, in South East London; Woking in Surrey; and Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire in the New Year.

All Saints

British premium brand AllSaints has announced the opening of three new stores before the end of the year, marking the latest development in its UK expansion.

The first of these stores, in The Mall at Cribbs Causeway just outside Bristol, opened its doors on October 15. AllSaints will also open a new store at London's iconic Battersea Power Station on November 5. A third new site will follow in Stratford on November 12.

Quiz

Quiz Clothing has revealed plans for five to 10 new UK store openings during the next 12 months, following an operational restructuring earlier this year.

Favouring a more "aspirational store concept", which was unveiled at Braehead Glasgow in September, as a design blueprint, the fashion retailer is focusing on London and the south of England.