‘Unbelievable’ sob shoppers as bargain sports chain with 500 branches to abruptly quit high street store
DISAPPOINTED shoppers are sobbing over the “unbelievable” and sudden closure of a popular high street sports store.
A Sports Direct branch in Stroud, Gloucestershire, will be pulling the shutters down for good at the end of March to the shock of customers.
Fans of the clothing store were saddened to hear the news as 20 per cent off sale posters were plastered over the windows.
It comes as the shop is relocating from Union Street to the Five Valleys Shopping Centre, and will open on April 1.
“Out of the high street into the Five Valleys. Unbelievable!”, penned one fuming customer on Facebook.
“Not a good move nothing stays open for long in there,” claimed another.
A third agreed: “Not good.”
Meanwhile, someone else shared: “Not surprised existing area could end up with quite a few empty shops.”
Sports Direct claimed their new site will be larger and offer a wider selection of products.
A spokesperson for Frasers Group commented: “Our Sports Direct Union Street store is relocating to provide a larger, elevated store that will bring both USC and GAME to Stroud customers.
“The store in Stroud’s Five Valleys Shopping Centre will open in the coming months.”
Sports Direct, which runs over 500 stores in the UK, also closed down a branch at the Orbital Shopping Park in Swindon early this year.
A spokesperson for Frasers Group, which owns Sports Direct, said: “It is with regret that we announce Sports Direct Swindon in Orbital Shopping Park will be closing early 2024.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their hard work and dedication.
They added: “Where possible, we are committed to finding new roles within the Group for staff.”
Local residents have shared their devastation following the news the branch is closing.
One said: “Oh dear another empty shop what is Swindon coming to a ghost town.”
Another commented: “Sounds about right everything shutting down,” while a third added: “It’s a shame as it’s my favourite shop.”
The company previously closed its store in the Central Six Retail Park in Coventry in October.
It also launched a giant closing down sale before shutting its branch in Blackpool in November.
Meanwhile, Sports Direct Fitness, owned by Sports Direct, shut its Salisbury site for good on December 11 to the shock of members.
It comes as thousands of high street stores have waved goodbye in an epidemic of closures across the UK.
Even industry giants have fallen victim in recent months.
The Body Shop bosses recently called in administrators with a “significant number” of jobs and shops at risk as the brand is set to begin an insolvency processes.
Meanwhile, popular beauty retailer Boots has also sadly announced it will be closing 300 shops this year, following several closures in 2023.
And, discount food shop Lidl, have also seen their fair share of locations shut down.
The full list, of which there are 1,168 locations, includes sites across all areas of Great Britain – including: 66 in Scotland, 83 in Yorkshire, 83 in central England, 91 in south London and 42 in south-mid Wales.
Bargain hunters will also be devastated to learn the discount retailer B&M closed yet another shop.
It follows cost of living rises, energy bills soaring and even some businesses continuing to feel the knock-on effect from the Pandemic.
Shoppers have been forced to slash their spending while the cost of running stores has also increased.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) this summer found the UK had lost 6,000 stores over a five-year period.