Shops on the British high street are at risk in January 2026, with some popular chains closing a number of branches.
Another high street chain whose restructuring plan will cause store closures this month is River Island, which this weekend alone closed six locations.
River Island chief executive Ben Lewis said River Island’s store portfolio is no longer ‘aligned’ with customer needs as many turn to online shopping.
‘The sharp rise in the cost of doing business over the last few years has only added to the financial burden,’ he added.
This weekend, six locations of the popular fashion shop shut.
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They included:
- Bangor Bloomfield
- Cumbernauld
- Hartlepool
- Kilmarnock
- Northwich
- St Helen’s
It was previously announced that 33 stores would be closing permanently by the end of January 2026.
CEO Ben Lewis added: ‘We have a clear transformation strategy to ensure the long-term viability of the business, and this decision gives us a strong platform to deliver this.
‘We are grateful to our suppliers, landlords and other stakeholders for their constructive engagement and shared confidence in River Island’s future.’
The stores set to close by the end of this month are:
- Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
- Bangor Bloomfield, Northern Ireland
- Barnstaple, Devon
- Beckton, Greater London
- Brighton, East Sussex
- Burton-Upon-Trent, Derbyshire
- Cumbernauld, Scotland
- Didcot, Oxfordshire
- Edinburgh Princes Street, Scotland
- Falkirk, Scotland
- Gloucester, Gloucestershire
- Great Yarmouth
- Grimsby, Lincolnshire
- Hanley, Staffordshire
- Hartlepool, County Durham
- Hereford, Herefordshire
- Kilmarnock, Scotland
- Kirkcaldy, Scotland
- Leeds Birstall Park, West Yorkshire
- Lisburn, Northern Ireland
- Northwich, Cheshire
- Norwich, Norfolk
- Oxford, Oxfordshire
- Perth, Scotland
- Poole, Dorset
- Rochdale, Greater Manchester
- St Helens, Merseyside
- Surrey Quays, Greater London
- Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire
- Taunton, Somerset
- Workington, Cumbria
- Wrexham, Wales
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