Retail reopening shows awful toll pandemic has wreaked on high street
MAJOR BRANDS AMONG THE CASUALTIES WE’VE SEEN THE LAST OF IN CITY
AFTER almost five months Wales’ lockdown rules have changed again, with all shops having been allowed to reopen from Monday.
However, the pandemic has without a doubt highlighted the dangers facing our high streets.
With a notable drop in footfall since the country went into lockdown for the first time last year, many businesses have struggled to survive.
And sadly, since the virus arrived, Bangor has been badly hit.
Over the past 12 months, and following three major lockdowns, a number of shops have sadly closed for good, dealing a huge blow to the town’s retail sector.
It has left the high street with numerous vacant units.
Here, we look at some of the stores we sadly won’t be able to visit again after retailers reopened on Monday.
GAME
National was not lockdown, week.
In a tweet last Tuesday, the GAME Store in Llandudno wrote: “Unfortunately Game Bangor will not be reopening, but Game Llandudno will be open from 9am Monday.”
video game retailer GAME reopening in Bangor after the store announced last
Mid Wales fashion chain Laura Ashley reopened across Wales after the first lockdown – but only to sell off stock in a closing-down sale.
In March last year, the company announced it was filing for administration after rescue talks were thwarted by the Covid-19 outbreak.
This has now seen stores in Llandudno and Bangor close.
H&M
H&M closed its Bangor store in November, leaving another empty shop on the high street.
The Swedish retailer shut after warning it was at risk.
It follows the closure of H&M in Wrexham, leaving the brand with only one site in North Wales, at Broughton Shopping Park.
DEBENHAMS
the shop
Online fashion retailer Boohoo announced in January it had bought the Debenhams brand and website for £55 million – but did not pick up the physical stores.
It means they face closure and the brand will leave the high street after more than 200 years.
They say the final closure dates will depend on when lockdown is fully lifted in Wales.
Once reopened, stores were beginning stock clearance.
This is expected to take around month, but could run to six weeks.
Stores in Llandudno and Wrexham will also close.
TOPSHOP/TOPMAN PEACOCKS
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The closure of Topshop and Topman in Bangor in September left another huge gap on the High Street.
The high street fashion retailer formed part of Sir Philip Green’s retail group Arcadia, which also included Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfit and Wallis.
The shop’s closure came months before online fashion retailer Asos confirmed it had sealed the takeover of Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT brands from administrators.
The brand is now only available online through Asos.
Arcadia collapsed into insolvency at the start of December after pandemic closures further exacerbated the group’s troubles.
Fashion retailer Peacocks shut its branch on the High Street in September - making it another big name shop to have moved out of Bangor due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
It came after the group that owns it hit major financial difficulties.
THE BODY SHOP
Ethical beauty retailer Body Shop, closed its doors in Bangor in July.
It came just weeks after reopening following the coronavirus lockdown.
Founded in 1976 in Brighton by animal rights and environmental activist Anita Roddick, The Body Shop is one of the UK’s most high-profile retailers.
In 2018, there were some 3,000 stores across nearly 70 countries, with around 2,000 of them being franchised.
Now, there are just under 250 stores in the UK – including one in Broughton and one in Llandudno.
CARPHONE WAREHOUSE
Carphone Warehouse announced it would close hundreds of its standalone stores across the UK just days before the country went into initial lockdown.
The firm, which sells mobile phones, revealed all 531 of its stores would close on April 3, meaning the loss of 2,900 jobs, although 1,800 affected staff were understood to have taken new roles elsewhere in the business.
In Bangor, it saw
Deiniol Centre store.
But the branch within Currys/PC World will stay open in Menai Retail Park. the closure of its