High street bargain chain with 187 branches to shut ‘brilliant’ store
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.A BELOVED bargain shop chain is set to pull the shutters down one of its stores.

The discounter is closing its branch in Deal, Kent, according to its Facebook page. TOFS said the site, labelled “brilliant” by shoppers, will be shutting at the end of September.The openings form part of Aldi’s long-term target of 1,500 stores in the UK.The brand opened two new stores in March, and a further three new shops will open this month.
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One Facebook user said: “Another piece of history and friendly staff gone.”Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.In a post, it said: “We are sorry to let you know our store will close its doors on 28th September 2024.
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Since then, it has closed down 82 locations.However, it’s not all bad news for the high street, as several other retailers and hospitality venues have plans to expand.
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.”We are working hard to support all of those colleagues that will be affected and seeking to redeploy them across our business.””We want to remain in town and our property team would consider any alternative suitable sites. But it’s not all bad news, as it has been opening stores across the UK too, as it shakes up its presence on the high street.In recent months, Asda has been opening hundreds of convenience stores as it seeks to rival major players Tesco and Sainsbury’s.Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and storiesIt has yet to give the exact locations where it will open the 100 stores or when they will open.Beer giant Heineken announced plans to invest £39million to help reopen 62 previously shuttered British pubs.Purepay Retail Limited, the parent company of Bonmarché, Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM), and Peacocks, has said it wants to open 100 new high-street stores over the next 18 months.
Other The Original Factory Shop closures
Another commented: “Oh no another brilliant shop closing but why? Love that shop.”The supermarket is set to invest £550million in expanding its UK footprint this year alone.
- Brightlingsea, Essex
- Bodmin, Cornwall
- Chepstow, Wales
- Fakenham, Norfolk
- Harwich, Essex
- Mildenhall, Suffolk
- Padiham, Lancashire
- Taunton, Somerset
A fourth posted: “I love this shop. I go to Deal, from Dover, regularly the main reason being the factory shop. The Original Factory Shop has announced the closure of another location within weeks.While a fifth said: “Such a shame. It was affordable and you could always get something good.
- Kirkintilloch – opened August 24
- Stonehaven – opened August 31
- Blandford Forum – opened August 31
- Haddington – opened September 7
- Wetherby – opened September 7
- Nairn – opened September 14
- Ashbourne – opened September 14
- Castle Douglas – opened September 21
- Penrith – opened September 21
- Inverness – opened September 28
- Attleborough – opened September 28
- Ayr – opened October 5
- Ringwood – opened October 5
- Perth – opened October 12
- Lanark – opened October 19
- Peterhead – opened October 26
Why are retailers closing shops?
Retail woes
“We take this opportunity to thank all of the local community and our store colleagues for their support throughout our time here in Deal.”It has already pulled the shutters down on seven stores in recent months:It’s understood that the closure is down to the building being redeveloped and the chain being unable to renew the lease.Other retailers, such as Homebase, Boots, and Clarks, have been reducing the number of their high-street branches.Screwfix is set to open 40 new stores nationwide as its owner, Kingfisher, seeks to expand the DIY brand’s national presence.”Now probably destined for townhouses and artisanal deli’s selling £4 sourdough bread.”Several big retailers have fallen into administration in the past year, including Wilko, Paperchase, and most recently, The Body Shop and Ted Baker.They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.The retailer thanked local shoppers for their support over the years.The major discounter has stopped short of saying when it wants to reach the 1,000 store target, however.It comes after the retailer, known for selling everything from clothing to homeware and stationery, shut a number of branches last year.”Obviously, this has not been a business decision as business was good, but another sign of the times.”After the Deal store closes, three of The Original Factory Shops will remain in Kent: Tenterden, Biggin Hill and Headcorn.B&M plans to open “not less than” 45 brand new stores across the UK in each of the next two consecutive years.Boss Stuart Machin recently said that when it relocated a tired store in Chesterfield to a new big store in a retail park half a mile away, its sales in the area rose by 103 per cent.Aldi said each new store opening will create around 40 new jobs on average.Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.Home Bargains, which was running just under 600 branches as of last June, has said it wants to “eventually have between 800 and 1,000 retail outlets open”.A second wrote: “Such a terrible end to such a popular store.
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Primark is also opening new branches and investing and renovating more than a dozen of its existing shops.One of the UK’s favourite bakery chains, Greggs, has exclusively revealed to The Sun plans to open more outlet branches by the end of 2025.The shock closure has left several local customers devastated, although the trader maintains around 190 branches nationwide.A spokesperson from The Original Factory Shop said: “After the landlord informed us that they were redeveloping our Deal store, we were unable to renew the lease.