All the high street stores closing in May including Costa Coffee and Next (2024)

All of the high street stores closing in May including Costa Coffee (Image: Getty)

High streets will be left even emptier this month as nine major brands gear up for widespread store closures.

While some of the biggest names in the retail industry are expanding their portfolio of physical stores, like Lidl, others are making cuts.

It comes as the ongoing cost of living crisis continues to diminish disposable income in people’s pockets, along with the shift to online shopping.

As a result, once popular high street stores have seen lower footfall and less money landing in the tills, forcing many to close.

Here are all the stores expected to close down in May, including Costa Coffee, Marks and Spencer, Poundland and Next.

READ MORE: Lidl to open hundreds of new stores in UK expansion - full list of locations

Marks and Spencer has shut several shops already this year (Image: Getty)

Next

Next has been a longstanding pillar of the high street, popular among many shoppers for its offering of fashion and homeware goods. While the large brand still operates around 460 branches across the UK, it will be one less from today, May 1. The Next store in Malvern, Worcestershire is now closed for good in a crushing blow to locals.

Though shocking, the closure was preempted after the retail giant announced that it would shut 11 stores when it released its results last year. It’s not all bad news for Next fans, however, as the retailer also opened four new outlet stores in 2023, selling past-season collections and clearance items at discounted prices.

Costa Coffee

Coffee lovers who frequent the Costa cafe in Uppingham will see the branch axed for good this month. The Rutland site, known as a "delightful haven" by loyal customers who have shared Google reviews, will continue operating as normal until it closes.

A spokesperson for the chain, which retains upwards of 2,000 outlets, claimed that all staff members would be re-deployed to other stores. Caffeine lovers in the area will be able to get their Costa-fox elsewhere, though they’ll have to make the seven-mile journey to Oakham to do so.

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Marks and Spencer

The beloved British brand is expected to lose three stores this month in a major shakeup to its shop format.

M&S fans local to the Broadway Shopping Centre, Bradford, will see the store closure on May 18. The chain is thought to be offering employees alternative roles "wherever possible", though hasn’t ruled out job losses.

A second upmarket M&S shop in Hexham, Northumberland, will close for good on May 25, according to local news reports. Plans to axe a third branch in Neath, Wales have also been announced, though an exact date is yet to be confirmed.

The trio of closures come as part of and build new food halls in popular locations.

WHSmith

WHSmith has more than 1,400 branches nationwide for now, though will soon lose its store in Slough, Berkshire on May 11. A second store in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire will close simultaneously on the same day.

It’s not just stationary and books that shoppers will lose out on, as the Post Office branch inside the Slough high street store will also be axed. Locals will now have to take their baskets and letters elsewhere.

Poundland shop (Image: Getty)

Poundland

Major discounter Poundland, which has around 800 branches across the UK, will axe one of its shops in a matter of days. Those local to theBishop's Stortfordbranch in Hertfordshire will be unable to visit over the bank holiday weekend, as the shop will shut for good on Saturday, May 4.

It may come as a shock to shoppers as the store opened a mere six months ago when it replaced a former Wilko site. Shoppers have taken to Facebook to share their dismay at the abrupt closure, with one branding it "a shame", while another proclaimed: "You're joking! Just found out it's there."

Having snapped up 71 Wilko locations last year, however, Poundland could reinstate the beloved British brand to the site as part of wider plans to do so.

House of Fraser

The department store operates just shy of 30 stores in the UK but will close one more this month.

House of Fraser fans in Carlisle will lose the long-established branch months after it announced a “closing down sale”. An exact closure date has not yet been revealed, but locals have shared their memories of the shop.

Speaking to the local publication News and Star, Lena Mcallister, who used to work at the store, said: "It hasn't been updated much since then, but I think the House of Fraser will be a massive miss on the high street as well as the Body Shop." A second resident, Garry Reggie Greenhow, said he had “childhood memories of visiting Santa and visiting the restaurant”.

The loss of the department store also means the Caffe Nero inside will be gone for good.

Clinton's

The well-known card retailer will be pulling down the shutters on its branch in Kettering this month.

Clinton’s, which has around 180 UK stores, will welcome customers into the Northamptonshire shop for the last time on May 8, according to local news reports.

The Works

Discount chain The Works will axe its shop in Dereham, Norfolk on May 10. One customer proclaimed that the store would be "sadly missed" while another described it as "such a gem".

Despite a string of closures, The Works, which has more than 520 stores nationwide, has opened four relocated stores in recent months. The brand now exists in Wolverhampton, Llanelli and Grimsby, as well as Inverness, West Durrington and Beckton.

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