SHOPPERS are gutted after another New Look store is set to close.
The beloved brand has already rolled the shutters down on 13 stores across the country after struggling in the current economic climate.
The latest shop to close, its site in The Potteries Centre in Stoke-on-Trent in Hanley, will bring down the shutters on October 14.
The closure has left bosses of the shopping centre “disappointed” after claiming they were unaware that the New Look was closing.
However, shoppers say they’ve spotted clearance sales for a while.
“River Island, H&M New Look, Game… what next? Not all of us can get to the big retail parks!” one said.
“Not a surprise at all, the shop has been half empty with a large clearance area for a while,” said another.
A third argued: “The tills never lie .. if people aren’t spending money, what’s the point of a shop staying open?”
Another echoed: “I went into New Look a couple of weeks ago, the only people in there were the staff and me – same for all the shops in shopping centre.
“I used to love going in there on a Saturday, it was packed years ago.”
A spokesperson for New Look told The Sun: “Our store in Hanley is set close on October 14.
“We would like to thank all of our colleagues and the local community for their support over the years.
“We hope customers continue to shop with us at our nearby Stoke-on-Trent Festival Retail Park store, as well as online at newlook.com, where our full product ranges can be found.”
They added that all staff members have been offered job opportunities in nearby stores.
A spokesperson for the shopping centre said: “We can confirm that New Look has taken the decision to close its store at The Potteries Centre.
“This news was not communicated to us in advance and any questions regarding the company’s commercial decisions or circumstances leading to this closure should be directed to New Look directly, as we are unable to comment on individual lease arrangements.
“New Look has been a valued tenant at The Potteries Centre for many years and we are disappointed to see them go. We know many of our visitors will also be saddened by the news.”
What’s happening at New Look?
The move follows the recent closure of the New Look in Harrow Town Centre, which served its final customers on September 17.
And in Leicestershire, the branch at The Britannia Centre, in Stockwell head will seize operating on December 9.
It comes as the owners of New Look are reportedly in calls with advisers to carry out a strategic review of the fashion chain which could result in a sale.
Alcentra and Brait, which has owned the high street chain since 2020, has called in financial advisory group Rothschild to oversee the process, according to Sky News.
A timeline has not been given for how long this process could take.
More importantly, it means nothing will change for customers during this process and the company is not going bust.
A New Look spokesperson previously said: “Management are focused on running the business and executing the strategy for long-term growth.
“The Company is performing well, with strong momentum driven by a successful summer trading period and notable online market share gains.”
Back in April, the fashion chain received a cash injection of over £30million to help grow its online arm.
More than 40% of the group’s revenue now comes via online, as customers continue to favour digital shopping over heading to a physical branch.
Previously, the firm previously warned it would close nearly 100 stores ahead of National Insurance hikes which came into place in April.
Approximately a quarter of the retailer’s 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire.
You can check out the full list of New Look closures here:
- New Look, Stoke-on-Trent – closing October 14
- New Look, Stockwell Head – closing December 9
- New Look, Scarborough – closed September 17
- New Look, Neath, Wales – closed August 6
- New Look, Hamilton, Scotland – closed July 1
- New Look, Birmingham, Northfield shopping centre – closed June 8
- New Look, Willow Place, Corby – closed June 1
- New Look Bexleyheath, London, closed April 19
- New Look, Preston, closed March 20
- New Look, Valley Retail World in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear – closed March 9
- New Look, St Austell in Cornwall – closed March 4
- New Look, Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales – closed February 22
- New Look, Wickford, Essex – closed January 24
- New Look, Carillon Court Shopping Centre Loughborough, closed January 21.
- New Look, Devizes, Wiltshire – closed
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
