High street fashion chain with 89 locations launches ANOTHER closing down sale at popular branch ahead of shutting
AN ICONIC high-street fashion chain is closing another branch only three years after it opened.
Eagle-eyed shoppers spotted "Closing Down" signs on the renowned store as it prepared to sell off remaining stock.
It's been officially confirmed that Jack Wills, located in Derbion shopping centre in Derby, is closing for good.
The popular branch is shutting down and moving into Frasers department store.
Beth McDonald, the shopping centre's managing director, said: "We can confirm that Jack Wills, which is part of the Frasers Group, will be integrating into the Frasers department store at Derbion, resulting in the closure of its standalone space in the centre this spring.
"We’re proud to have recently welcomed big names such as Castore, B&M and White Stuff, and are excited to welcome Victoria’s Secret and more exciting brands over the coming months."
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Beth has promised shoppers that despite the family favourite shop moving, another big brand will take its place.
She added: "Our shoppers can be assured that we’re dedicated to working closely with new and existing retailers to ensure that we have an exciting mix of stores and experiences to enjoy.
"We’ll be in a position to announce new brands soon."
This follows a Jack Wills closure in Hereford which left shoppers devastated.
Locals slammed the move as a "shame" with many saying the area would be left like a "ghost town".
Jack Wills has become a household stable ever since its introduction to the high street in 1999.
Its popularity soared as the quintessentially British lifestyle brand boasted classic patterns on high-quality items.
Jack Wills was acquired by the Frasers Group in 2019 and the brand announced a 127,000 sqft store would be opening in Derby.
The much-anticipated store opened in the Derbion in July 2022 but the branch had already started offering major discounts two years later.
On Facebook, the shopping centre announced they were offering "20 per cent off everything full price" last year.
This year, the signs read "closing down 20 per cent off full price."
Jack Wills isn't the only loss the Derbion is facing with budget supermarket Iceland relocating to London Road.
Leaflets were posted under residents' doors warning them that the popular supermarket was moving and the existing branch would close on February 22 at 4pm.
In February alone, bosses at a number of beloved retailers have announced plans to close branches.
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Garden centre chain Dobbies closed 12 of its stores before Christmas to help help with costs following a big restructuring plan.
Meanwhile, DIY giant Homebase confirmed that six of its sites will close before the end of the year.
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.
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."
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has 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."