Fashion retailer River Island has announced that it intends to shut dozens of stores across the UK. A major restructure of the chain will see 33 shops close before the end of January 2026, while a further 71 stores will pay reduced rent.
River Island currently operates 230 stores across the UK and Ireland, employing around 5,500 people. The brand has blamed the closures on the shift to online shopping and rising operational costs
Commenting on the soon-to-shut locations, chief executive Ben Lewis said: ‘We have a clear transformation strategy to ensure the long-term viability of the business, and this decision gives us a strong platform to deliver this.
‘Recent improvements in our fashion offer and shopping experience are starting to show results, and the restructuring plan will enable us to align our store estate to our customers’ needs. We are grateful to our suppliers, landlords and other stakeholders for their constructive engagement and shared confidence in River Island’s future.’
This week, exactly which 33 River Island shops are set to close has been revealed. Here’s what you need to know.
Full list of River Island locations closing in the UK
The following locations of River Island will shut before the end of January 2026.
- Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
- Bangor Bloomfield, Northern Ireland
- Barnstaple, Devon
- Beckton, Greater London
- Brighton, East Sussex
- Burton-Upon-Trent, Derbyshire
- Cumbernauld, Scotland
- Didcot, Oxfordshire
- Edinburgh Princes Street, Scotland
- Falkirk, Scotland
- Gloucester, Gloucestershire
- Great Yarmouth
- Grimsby, Lincolnshire
- Hanley, Staffordshire
- Hartlepool, County Durham
- Hereford, Herefordshire
- Kilmarnock, Scotland
- Kirkcaldy, Scotland
- Leeds Birstall Park, West Yorkshire
- Lisburn, Northern Ireland
- Northwich, Cheshire
- Norwich, Norfolk
- Oxford, Oxfordshire
- Perth, Scotland
- Poole, Dorset
- Rochdale, Greater Manchester
- St Helens, Merseyside
- Surrey Quays, Greater London
- Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire
- Taunton, Somerset
- Workington, Cumbria
- Wrexham, Wales
Which Poundland shops are closing? Brand has confirmed all the UK stores will shut for good.
RECOMMENDED: All the UK high street store closures confirmed for 2025.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.