In 2023, Britain’s high streets aren’t doing too well. Every week there seems to be new store closure announcements, from massive household chains to specialist franchises. And now it appears that one more chain is seriously struggling.
House of Fraser has closed another one of its department stores this week. The victim was in Mell Square, Solihull (near Birmingham), which closed on Monday (August 28) as part of the store’s efforts to scale down after falling into administration a few years ago. HoF intends to cut its total number of outlets from 59 to 31.
A spokesperson for HoF told BirminghamLive: ‘It is with regret that we announce House of Fraser Solihull will be closing on August 28. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their hard work and dedication. Where possible, we are committed to finding new roles within the group for staff.’
According to news reports, massive discount and reduction signs were seen in the windows of both stores earlier in the summer. It all follows the news that Mike Ashley, who bought over House of Fraser back in 2018 in a £90 million administration deal, admitted to Forbes in 2019 that buying the department store was a ‘mistake’.
Which stores have already closed?
The House of Fraser stores that have already closed in 2023 are:
- Solihull
- Cardiff Howells Building
- High Wycombe
In the past year, the brand’s store in London’s Westfield Shepherd’s Bush also closed.
Which House of Fraser stores have been confirmed for closing?
The next HoF store to close will be in Guildford, which will shut its doors on September 30.
The full list of UK high street stores closing in 2023.
Plus: here’s the full list of The Works stores that are closing down.
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