A BELOVED branch of a major fashion chain is set to close its doors for good next week.
It came as a shock to locals after serving a long stint on the high street.
Shoppers in Salisbury have one week left to visit lifestyle retailer Joules, as the store prepares to close its doors permanently.
A notice posted on the shop window of the New Canal Street branch last week confirmed that the store will close on Easter Monday, April 21.
The sign reads: “This store is closing. We’ve taken the decision to close this store on April 21.
“We’d like to thank you for supporting us over the years.
“And remember, you can always find us online at joules.com.”
Shocked customers took to Facebook to express their disappointment.
One person wrote: “Another shop closing! Salisbury needs to wake up before it dies in its sleep. Parking is too expensive and the restrictions too extensive!”
Another complained: “Sad, another good shop leaving the city, soon won’t be any left that are worth a visit.”
Founder and chief executive Tom Joule confirmed that the closure was a “difficult decision” but was inevitable “after a thorough review of retail operations.”
The Salisbury store is among several affected following the company’s financial restructuring.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”What happened to Wilko?” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6351985493112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Joules was bought out of administration by Next in 2023 in a deal worth £34million.
At the time, Next’s chief executive Lord Simon Wolfson said he was optimistic about the future of the brand, highlighting the potential in combining Joules’ “exceptional product, marketing and brand building skills with Next’s Total Platform infrastructure”.
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D112362%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]The acquisition resulted in the retention of around 100 stores, with plans to close 19 locations, impacting 133 jobs across the UK.
The Stratford store is one of several locations that have closed over the past year as part of ongoing restructuring efforts.
In Scotland, the Joules branch in Oban shut its doors for the final time in February.
Similarly, the store at The Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell ceased trading in January.
Shoppers can still browse the entire Joules collection on its website.
HIGH STREET WOES
Since the pandemic, retailers across the UK have faced mounting pressure as consumers cut back on spending amid a soaring cost of living crisis.
The rise in energy prices and a lasting shift towards online shopping have further strained high street businesses.
Over the past year, a wave of store closures has swept through towns and cities, with more expected in the coming months.
Well-known brands such as Wilko and Paperchase have collapsed, while many others continue to scale back operations in a bid to reduce costs.
Retailers have been forced to make tough decisions, with some unable to absorb increased overheads and declining footfall.
As a result, several major chains are closing stores permanently.
Boots is set to shut 10 more stores in the coming weeks as part of wider plans to reduce its UK portfolio by 300 sites.
Other recent closures include:
- Matalan, which closed its Leeds branch on February 24
- Kurt Geiger, which shut its Brighton store
- Fenwick, which closed its flagship Bond Street department store on February 3
- Peacocks, which has closed its Bury St Edmunds store and will shut its Camborne, Cornwall location on April 3, expressing “a really heavy heart” over the decision
- HMV, which closed its Boston, Lincolnshire branch on January 27