Fashion chain with 180 shops shuts popular branch after closing down sale launched
A MAJOR fashion chain with 180 UK shops has shut one of its branches after 21 years.
FatFace has pulled down the shutters of its store on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, after reportedly launching a closing down sale.
The Star first reported the branch would shut today, January 26, or earlier if all stock was sold.
But a staff member from a nearby shop told The Sun the store was already shuttered up while it is no longer listed on FatFace's website with a message reading "sorry, there's been an error".
The branch is also described as "permanently closed" on Google.
News of the closure has been met with sadness from locals who used the shop to pick up men and women's clothing, accessories and footwear.
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One recently posted a picture of a closing down sign in the shop window on X, adding: "So sad our local FatFace is closing on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield!
"I hope you are planning to open one in the town centre!".
Another, posting on Facebook, said: "Another long standing shop closing."
A third said on Facebook: "It's not long when they will be all eating places."
The closure comes after FatFace was sold to fashion rival Next in October 2023 in a deal worth £115.2million.
The May before, FatFace's owners were reported to have appointed Rothschild to advise on strategic options for the company.
In its most recent results, FatFace said despite a tough economic backdrop it had had a "stable" 35 weeks to January 27, 2024.
It said revenue had declined by around £15million from the same period the year before, but cost savings had seen its profit before trading increase to £17.2million from £16.2million over the same time period.
The business also said it continued to operate as a multichannel retailer with physical stores "continuing to play an important role".
FatFace closing in Sheffield comes after a number of other stores shut in the city.
The Body Shop branch in Orchard Square shut on January 15 after 34 years.
Beloved department store Sandersons, in the Fox Valley shopping complex, is also shutting in March.
Sheffield has seen several department stores disappear in recent years, with both Debenhams and John Lewis closing their city centre branches in 2021.
The Sun asked FatFace to comment.
RETAIL SECTOR STRUGGLES
It's worth bearing in mind, retailers like FatFace often close underperforming branches while opening them in areas they think will draw in more sales.
With that said, the retail sector has struggled in recent years due to a concoction of factors.
The coronavirus pandemic saw lots of retailers struggle for footfall into stores as the trend of online shopping grew.
The higher cost of living since inflation soared in 2022 has hit households' pockets too, meaning they've got less spare cash.
Data published by the Centre for Retail Research at the start of the year revealed over 13,479 high street shops closed in 2024, made up of 11,341 independent stores.
Meanwhile, 2,138 stores were shut by larger chains over the year.
The research foundation predicted more pain to come in 2025 too, as it forecast 17,350 sites to shut across the year.
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It said this was linked to the upcoming hike to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and national minimum wage.
The hike in employer NICs will see businesses have to pay more tax on their workers' earnings.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun's business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April 2025, 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.
In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few.
What's increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
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