AN ICONIC UK chain with over 500 sites is set to close one of its flagship stores.

Fans of the UK’s largest sports goods retailer cried out on social media, calling the closure “sad” and another example of Glasgow‘s Silverburn shopping centre “going downhill”.

Signs recently appeared of sports giant Sports Direct in the leisure centre, saying it would be closing its doors.

The plastered signs said: “Closing down. 20 per cent off full price, exclusions apply.”

Social media users lamented the loss, with one saying: “Sad for staff losing there jobs.”

Another said: “That’s sad. Another empty space that will be taken up by a rubbish store out of most people’s reach or an existing store will move into the space, playing musical chairs.

“It’s sad to see silverburn going downhill, used to be so vibrant and accessible.”

Sports Direct is still known for being one of the biggest sporting retailers in the country.

The company was founded in 1982 by Mike Ashley.

The now 60-year-old opened the original first store in Maidenhead.

In the 1990s, the business tycoon opened another 100 shops across the UK, with a major rebrand as Sports Soccer.

He then rebranded the stores to Sports Direct in 2008.

It is currently unknown when the brand’s Silverburn store will close down.

The shut down comes as the sporting giant also is set to close another one of its stores in Cambridge.

Sports Direct in Newmarket Road is set to close on April 18, leaving shoppers with huge discounts to grab before the store gets the axe.

And the sports retail icon is also shutting another of its stores in Dundee.

Sports Direct in Overgate Shopping Centre will close in the next few months and is also offering discounts and deals before it closes down.

The Sun reached out to Sports Direct for a comment

A HUGE high street chain is shutting up shop – and there are mega bargains to be had before the doors close for good.

Sports Direct is the latest retailer to axe a branch, with its Newmarket Road store in Cambridge set to shut on April 18.

Shoppers can bag huge discounts on top-brand sports gear, trainers, and clothing before the shutters come down.

The store has launched a massive closing down sale, slashing prices to clear stock before it disappears for good.

An eagle-eyed bargain hunters rushed to spread the word on social media

The shopper posted in a Facebook group: “Sports Direct on Newmarket Rd is closing down, 18/04. Lots of bargains in store!.”

One person, furious with the news, wrote: “Another nail in the coffin for concrete Cambridge.”

Another simply added: “Losing all our stores!.”

But not everyone was as bothered, with one dismissing the sale as “nothing worth running out the door for”.

The closure will now leave many employees without jobs.

Over the last few years, the popular high street sports store has shut a number of its branches.

The bargain retailer closed its store in the Central Six Retail Park, Coventry, at the end of January 2024.

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It also pulled shutters down for good at its branch in Stroud, Gloucestershire last March.

Its store on Octagon Parade in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, also closed for the final time during that period.

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HIGH STREET WOES

Once the beating heart of British shopping, high street retailers have been battered by the rise of online shopping, with footfall dwindling.

The cost-of-living crisis and soaring inflation have only made things worse, as cash-strapped shoppers cut back on spending.

Now, many stores that once welcomed a steady stream of customers are closing their doors for good.

In some cases, landlords are either unwilling or unable to invest in keeping shops open, further speeding up the closures.

For now, residents will have to seek out other options for their shopping as the future of the store remains uncertain.

Other store closures

Earlier this month, Essential Vintage told followers on social that it would be closing down after they had been “priced out” because of bigger players in the market such as Vinted.

Bakery giant Greggs revealed it will permanently close its Lytham store in Lancashire this Friday, March 28, 2025.

Shoezone, located on Devonshire Road, has confirmed it’s final day of trading will be May 13.

This week, Bennetts Family Bakers announced the closure of their Wimborne Minster shop in Dorset.

The West Borough bakery will stop serving customers on March 29.

Whilst, Red Menswear in Chatham in Medway, Kent, is also shutting up shop for the final time on March 29, after selling men’s clothing since 1999.