In a statement, the firm said the move will enable Dobbies to return to “sustainable profitability and unlock access to “future investment”.The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.

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.Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and storiesAnn Summers has around 80 stores across the UK and Ireland and an online shop. Now come December, the following locations will shut for good.

HOMEBASE

It was announced back in September that it would axe a number of its locations as part of a major restructuring plan.FOUR of the UK’s most popular retailers are set to close down stores just before Christmas, in another blow to shoppers. The discounter is pulling the plug on its store in Haverfordwest, Wales on December 14.The raunchy retailer confirmed it would close in location in Doncaster on Christmas Eve.

The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.

THE ORIGINAL FACTORY SHOP

In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase to name a few.Shoppers were also forced to wave goodbye to nearly 200 Carpetright stores after the brand collapsed before being partially rescued by rival company Tavi . You can check out the full list below.

• Brightlingsea, Essex
• Bodmin, Cornwall
• Chepstow, Wales
• Fakenham, Norfolk
• Harwich, Essex
• Mildenhall, Suffolk
• Padiham, Lancashire
• Taunton, Somerset
• Deal, Kent

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.Three more Homebase sites in Derry, Inverurie, and Omagh are also set to close in the coming months, along with a branch in Glenrothes near Fife.

• 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

Ann Summers

Iconic retailers such as Ted Baker were wiped off the high street due to financial challenges and weak demand from customers. High inflation coupled with a squeeze on consumers’ finances has meant people have less money to spend in the shops. Garden retailer Dobbies will close 12 of its sites before Christmas. But the store has confirmed that six of its sites will close before the end of the year. And now at least 20 stores – owned by some of shoppers’ favourite brands – are set to close right before the holidays. 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.

Dobbies

You can find your nearest branch by visiting, www.annsummers.com/stores.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.These include: The news comes amid a challenging time for the whole of the UK’s retail sector. A total of 10 sites will now shut, with an eleventh site in Antrim originally earmarked for closure saved.Also, the rising popularity in online shopping has meant people are favouring digital ordering over visiting a physical store. Up to 70 Homebase were saved by The Range last month after it collapsed.

• Altrincham – December 17
• Gloucester – December 15
• Gosforth – December 19
• Harlestone Heath – December 17
• Huntingdon TBC
• Inverness on December 23
• King’s Lynn – December 15
• Pennine – December 15
• Reading – December 23
• Stratford-upon-Avon on – December 23

These include sites in Sutton Coldfield, Bromsgrove, Cromer, Fareham, Newark and Rugby.

TROUBLE ON THE HIGH STREET

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 full list of stores that have opened since August 2023 includes:

Dobbies will continue to operate around 60 stores across the UK.This ongoing trend has seen brands such as Paperchase vanish completely.

EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.Ann Summers – famed for its lingerie and bedroom toys – is exiting the area after several decades on the Yorkshire high street.