Final clearance sale launched as iconic department store to shut its doors after 124 years
AN iconic department store has launched its final clearance sale before shutting its doors after 124 years.
Family-run store Daniel of Ealing, which has welcomed shoppers for five generations, will close for the final time on Sunday June 8.
Ahead of the closure the department store has slashed prices, offering huge discounts across all departments.
Shoppers will be able to snap up bargains across beds, furniture, homeware and fashion before the doors shut.
Discounts include 50% reductions on top-brand beds including Relyon, Dunlopillo and Sleepeezee.
Huge discounts will also be available on toys, sportswear and shoes.
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Shoppers have expressed their dismay at the store's closure.
One said: "Such a shame."
Another added: "Loved this shop and it’s top floor restaurant."
A third said: "Ealing has lost its heart, soul & uniqueness!"
Locals said Ealing had already lost many independent stores including John Sanders, F W Rowse and Bentalls.
Daniel of Ealing has blamed this latest closure on rising costs and challenging trading conditions.
The business had been founded in 1901 by Walter James Daniel and has been a staple of the high street for generations.
Over the years, Daniel grew from Ealing to Windsor and even had shops in Reading, Newbury, Cardiff, Ebbw Vale, and Chiswick.
The retailer even holds a royal warrant, supplying gifts to the Royal Household.
The Windsor flagship store will remain open, alongside its online business danielstores.co.uk.
The firm has said that five Daniel employees will be impacted by the closure of the Ealing store.
Managing director Tony Durkin said: "We're still going after 120 years and our store is still continuing trade in Windsor - it is the economic climate that is causing the problem."
The Ealing store's final days will see a frenzy of shoppers racing to bag closing-down deals.
Why are retailers closing stores?
Retailers have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April 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.
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The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
Recent closures have included Weird Fish, New Look and The Entertainer.
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The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025."
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
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