NEW Look will shut a popular branch in weeks after 32 stores have already closed across the UK and Ireland.
The British clothing chain will close down a branch in Neath, Wales on August 6.
Locals shared a snap of the closing down sign on social media, prompting shoppers to share their heartbreak.
One punter blamed online shopping for the closure, claiming it has “killed the high street”.
While another resident said they “couldn’t believe it”.
And a third moaned there would be “nothing” in Neath soon.
New Look previously warned it would shut 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.
This equates to about 91 stores, with a significant impact on its 8,000-strong workforce.
News of the closure comes just days after New Look pulled the shutters on its branch in Birmingham’s Northfield shopping centre.
The popular store closed on Sunday, June 8.
Earlier this month, the fashion retailer closed its two-storey shop in the Willow Place shopping centre .
In May, it closed branches in St Austell and Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
The chain has previously closed locations in Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Wickford, Essex.
In February, New Look also exited the Republic of Ireland which resulted in the closure of 26 stores.
At the time, the company said: “New Look’s Irish operation has struggled for some years, impacted by a range of factors including supply-chain and in-market costs, and squeezed consumer spending”.
TROUBLE ON THE HIGH STREET
New Look is not the only fashion brand facing a hard time.
River Island revealed plans to shut 33 of its 230 stores, pending approval.
A further 70 stores are also at risk, with its future depending on agreements being reached with landlords to cut rent agreements.
Just weeks ago the British retailer drafted in advisers from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to come up with money saving solutions for the business.
Poundland will close 68 stores following its £1 sale to US investmet firm Gordron Brothers.
But even before this announcement, the bargain chain had already planned to close 18 stores,
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.”
