A MAJOR high street chain has launched new closing down sales for a number of shops set to shut from today.
The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) is preparing to close down five stores over the coming weeks, including branches in Scotland and Lincolnshire.
The Original Factory Shop is shaking up its store estate[/caption]
Its branch in March will close on September 27, with the chain launching a huge “everything must go” sale to shift stock before it shuts for good.
Another branch in Otley, West Yorkshire will also close down at the end of September.
The chain is giving shoppers the chance to shop sales of up to 75% on selected items such as scarves and jewellery.
Elsewhere, a branch in Spalding is also due to close in the coming weeks, alongside a branch in Horley.
The store is also launching a huge 50% off sale, to give shoppers a chance to grab one last bargain.
Elsewhere, a branch in Wetherby, West Yorkshire is also due to close on October 11.
In a notice on social media the store said: “We are closing our doors soon but we still have offers available.
“With up to 50% off stock , come and grab a bargain while you can.”
But some shoppers did not take the news well, describing the move as “so sad”.
One local said: “That is really disappointing, it’s a great all round shop and I use it regularly.”
And another said: “Noooo I really liked this shop and the staff are lovely – so friendly.”
Elsewhere, a branch in Inverness is also due to close on October 12.
A spokesperson told The Inverness Courier: “This decision was not made lightly and follows a thorough review of the store’s performance and long-term viability.
“We are working closely with our colleagues to support them through this period, and we’re grateful to the community for their support over the years.”
The store currently has a 30% off closing down sale.
And these are not the first TOFS to shut. The chain has already boarded up 26 sites in the past few months.
That includes sites in Chester Le Street and Cumbria – you can check out the full list below.
Full list of TOFS stores that have closed in 2025 or are set to close
- Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire – Closed 26 June
- Perth, Scotland – Closed 28 June
- Chester Le Street, County Durham – Closed 28 June
- Arbroath, Angus – Closed 28 June
- Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire – Closed 28 June
- Pershore, Worcestershire – Closed 28 June
- Normanton, West Yorkshire – Closed 28 June
- Peterhead, Aberdeenshire – Closed 28 June
- Shaftesbury, Dorset – Closed 28 June
- Staveley, Cumbria – Closed 12 July
- Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire – Closed 20 July
- Caernarfon, Wales – Closed 20 July
- Ashbourne, Derbyshire Dales – Closed 20 July
- Matlock, Derbyshire – Closed 26 July
- Cupar, Fife – Closed 27 July
- Kirkham, Lancashire – Closed August
- Caldicot, Wales – Closed 7 August
- Whitchurch, Shropshire – Closed 31 August
- Middlewich, Cheshire – Closed
- Blairgowrie, Scotland – Closed
- Heswall, Merseyside – Closed
- Cupar, Scotland – Closed
- Mexborough, South Yorkshire – Closed 6 September
- Chard, Somerset – Closed 7 September
- Nairn, Scotland – Closed 22 September
- Market Drayton, Shropshire – Closed 20 September
- March, Cambridgeshire – Closing 27 September
- Otley, West Yorkshire – TBC
- Spalding, East Midlands – TBC
- Horley, Surrey – TBC
- Wetherby, West Yorkshire – Closing 11 October
- Inverness, Scotland – Closing 12 October
What is going on at The Original Factory Shop?
The Original Factory Shop was bought by private equity firm Modella Capital in February.
Modella, which is known for taking on struggling retailers, quickly launched a restructuring effort to renegotiate rents at 88 The Original Factory Shop stores.
At the end of April, Modella drew up plans to initiate a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) for the retailer.
Companies often use CVAs to avoid insolvency, which could otherwise force stores to close or trigger the collapse of the entire business.
But The Original Factory Shop said it would also be forced to close a “number of loss-making stores”.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
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.”
