A POPULAR bargain chain has launched a massive sale before shutting down a superstore location.
The beloved brand is giving shoppers 50% off all items as part of a “final clearance” offer.
A popular bargain chain has announced the closure of a superstore location (stock image)[/caption]
While the discount giant has over 777 locations across the UK, one Stoke-on-Trent store will no longer be in operation.
B&M is preparing to permanently pull the shutters on its Hanley branch on Saturday, September 27.
Clearance sale
Until then, customers can enjoy 50% discounts, with some shelves already barren.
The superstore location first opened in Century Retail Park in 2014.
StokeonTrentLive reported on the closure, revealing that staff at the location confirmed the shop is shutting on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Stoke Hub News shared a statement from a B&M spokesperson on the closure.
Official announcement
“The lease has ended on our store on Century Retail Park, Hanley which will close on Saturday 27th September and all colleagues have been offered roles at nearby B&M stores,” the rep said.
“We’re committed to offering the best possible B&M stores to the Stoke-on-Trent area and customers will continue to find great value products nearby in our other stores on Old Hall Street and Festival Park.”
However, Stoke-on-Trent customers will not have to travel too far for bargains from the brand.
Six B&M branches will still be operation across the area.
The discount chain is also preparing to close another location in early 2026.
The Sun has reached out to B&M for comment on the latest store closure.
And the Stoke-on-Trent shop isn’t the only store set for closure.
More on store closures
A range of high street stores are scheduled for closure throughout October.
And Primark has confirmed its first store closure in over a decade.
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.”
A British homeware brand is shutting its last ever UK store after 120 years.
Plus, Halifax, Lloyds, and Bank of Scotland have announced 49 more branch closures.
And a major sports chain has closed 13 stores as sales and profits drop in high street blow.
B&M shoppers can nab 50% savings on items as the location launches a clearance sale (stock image)[/caption]
