Home Bargains has announced it is closing 560 of the 630 UK shops for 24 hours – as people are told to check their local stores opening times ahead of visiting
Bargain shoppers will need to plan in advance if they are hoping to visit a store soon.
Popular discounter Home Bargains has announced the shutters will be pulled on 560 of their shops on Easter Sunday, April 5. However 70 stores in Scotland will remain open as usual.
The chain employs around 28,000 staff all around the UK, and the closure is intended to give the workers a rare day off during the Easter period.
The shops will still be open on Good Friday, however the hours reduced to 9am-7pm, and will also be open on Easter Monday trading from 9am-7pm.
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A spokesperson told The Sun: “All Home Bargains stores in England and Wales will be closed on Easter Sunday.” This comes under the rules set out in the Sunday Trading Act 1994, which requires larger shops over 280 square metres to shut on Easter Sunday. The same legislation also forces big stores to close on Christmas Day to ensure staff are given appropriate time off.
However smaller stores such as convenience stores will be open as they are exempt from this law and can decide if they want to welcome customers. Meanwhile airport outlets, railway station shops, service stations and registered pharmacies are also permited to remain open.
Farms selling their own produce, motor supply outlets and suppliers of aircraft goods are among the other businesses that can continue operating too. Because of the Home Bargains closure, shoppers should check their stores opening hours before visiting, by checking social media or calling ahead to make sure.
It comes after a fresh wave of store closures has hit UK high streets in February 2026. With major chains including House of Fraser and Poundland amongst those closing their doors. With escalating expenses, diminished consumer spending, and difficult trading environments, businesses remain under pressure to stay viable.
Poundland has already closed numerous branches nationwide as part of its restructuring strategy, with 32 additional outlets scheduled to shut in early 2026. According to The Metro, Poundland stores that have or are due to close this month are:
- Chichester
- Feltham
- Crayford
- Nottingham (Chilwell)
- Urmston
Full list of Poundland stores set to close in 2026:
- Lancaster, Lancashire
- Northampton Sixfields, Northamptonshire
- Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
- Hammersmith, Greater London
- Prestatyn, Denbighshire
- Faversham, Kent
- Liverpool, Merseyside
- Yeovil, Somerset
- Nottingham Eastpoint, Nottinghamshire
- Lymington, Hampshire
- Christchurch (47 High Street), Dorset
- Bristol Avon Meads, Bristol
- Winton, Dorset
- Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
- Christchurch (Meteor Retail Park), Dorset
- Arnold, Nottinghamshire
- Worthing, West Sussex
- Droitwich, Worcestershire
- Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
- Oldham, Greater Manchester
- Weston Favell, Northamptonshire
- Portishead, Somerset
- Grantham, Lincolnshire
- Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
- Farnham, Surrey
- Brighton, East Sussex
- Hempstead Valley, Kent
- Bexhill, East Sussex
- Ponders End, Greater London
- Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland
- Mitcham, Greater London
- Cameron Toll, Edinburgh, Scotland
While Claire’s Accessories and The Original Factory Shop went into administration in January 2026 after Modella Capital stated attempts to save the brands had collapsed. The development threatens 1,355 positions across 154 Claire’s Accessories branches in the UK and Ireland.
With over 280 UK sites, Claire’s recorded losses of approximately £25 million in recent years. A spokesperson for the brand’s owner said: “Very sadly, we have had to initiate insolvency proceedings for The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) and Claire’s Accessories UK & Ireland. This has been a very tough decision,” reported the Metro.
“We have worked intensively in an effort to save both businesses, having made last-ditch attempts to rescue them, but neither has a realistic possibility of trading profitably again. In these circumstances, administration is the only option. In both cases, the legacy effects of trading prior to our ownership left them highly vulnerable.
