A HUGE high street chain with 720 locations across the UK has shared the news that it is closing its doors.
The shop is part of a series of closures which have devastated Hanley’s high street in Stoke on Trent.
Holland & Barrett is one of the UK’s leading health stores and is known for selling a range of vitamins, vegan food and beauty products.
However, in increasingly hostile high street conditions, the brand’s Henley branch has chosen to relocate.
The new store will be opening in The Potteries Centre and will open in mid-March.
They also have stores in Tretham Shopping Village and Affinity Staffordshire.
Ahead of the move, Holland & Barrett said: “We can confirm we will be closing H&B Hanley later next month and opening our new, bigger and better store in The Potteries Centre.
“We are delighted to be opening a larger store with an even wider range of products and an increased store team of experts to support the community on their wellness journeys.
“We look forward to welcoming our customers from our Hanley store soon.”
The closure of the Hanley shop marks another big brand leaving the high street.
Travel company TUI left Market Square after 31 years in 2024, with locals saying that their departure was the “end of an era”.
Shoezone closed their Hanley store in April 2024, leading one resident to say that the area was becoming a “ghost town”.
One shopper even said: “It’s all over.”
USC also left Hanley’s high street, in April 2024, in another blow to the Staffordshire town.
According to a report by the Centre for Retail Research, an average of 37 high street shops closed every day across the UK in 2024.
Footfall fell by 2.2 per cent from 2023 meaning far fewer shoppers headed to the high street.
Sadly, 11,341 of the closures were independent retailers.
The Centre for Retail Research has warned that “worse is set to come in 2025”.
