The high street has been hit by more store closures this week
A range of well-known British brands have become the latest high street closures this week as they have shut their doors. Many businesses are struggling amid a wave of expense hikes.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has revealed that UK retailers have been hit with a “£5.6 billion wave of additional costs” across 2025 and 2026. Costs include a reduction in rates relief, higher wages, new packaging levies and the April 2026 rise in property values.
Plus, there are more increases on the horizon as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned that the economic fallout from the Iran war will “go on”.
Sadly, a number of stores have disappeared from the high street this week as they made the tough decision to close.
Claire’s
In a huge blow, Claire’s closed all 154 of its UK sites this week. Administrators at Kroll announced the closures and said that around 1,300 workers will be made redundant as a result.
The move did not affect Claire’s 356 concessions, including many in Asda stores, and its head office. However, the Guardian reports that Claire’s could be set to reopen four to 10 stores a week from June onwards.
Claire’s had already shut 145 stores, with around 1,000 jobs lost, during the previous administration last year.
Russell & Bromley
The British shoe shop chain has closed 33 stores. The last Russell & Bromley store closure took place on April 23 after the firm announced the first 10 closures on April 21.
Administrators said the planned closure of the remaining 33 stores and nine concessions not acquired by Next is now complete. The retailer, which was founded in 1880, had 320 employees before the closures.
Administrators Interpath told Drapers: “All stores that did not transfer to Next as part of that transaction closed on or before 23 April 2026.
“Regrettably, these closures mean that the majority of employees working in the non‑transferring stores have been made redundant. The administrators and their teams are engaging closely with all affected staff and will be providing support throughout the process, including assisting individuals in submitting claims to the redundancy payments service.
“The administrators continue to oversee the wind‑down of the remaining parts of the business and will provide further updates as appropriate.”
LK Bennett
Luxury fashion brand LK Bennett has closed nine stores after entering administration. The nine outlets had been earmarked for closure by the end of April, though stock sold out faster than anticipated.
The remaining 13 concessions are staying open while stock lasts, but are set to close imminently. LK Bennett filed for administration in January after failing to secure a buyer and around 90 jobs have been affected by the closures.
The brand, which is a favourite of Princess Kate and Queen Camilla, was purchased out of administration by Gordon Brothers’ brand management division in January. The LK Bennett brand and its associated intellectual property assets were acquired in the deal.
Nimit Shah, Gordon Brothers’ managing director for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region, said: “We believe the LK Bennett brand is capable of reinvigoration under a new asset-light model.”
Ark Pet Centres
The pet store, which had outlets across South and East Devon, including in Plymouth, Exeter and Torbay, confirmed the immediate closure of all its branches this week.
A spokesperson confirmed: “It is with huge regret and sadness that we announce that after 30 years of trading, we will be shutting our doors for good as of today – 23rd April. This affects all stores.
“Whilst we have all worked incredibly hard to weather the economic storm, we can no longer sustain the increasing pressure and huge rising costs, and with more increases on the horizon, we have had to make the heartbreaking decision to cease trading.
“We would like to thank our wonderful team who have worked hard to make The Ark what it was – and we truly wish them all the very best for the future. To our loyal customers – thank you, we appreciate you and we truly will miss serving you and your pets.
“We never set out to be a ‘pet shop’, we wanted to be a place where local people could get help and advice on pet care from people they trusted, and we’re proud to have done that for the last 30 years. We have loved every minute of this from day one, thank you for being part of our journey.”
