High street chain closes store 'suddenly' and leaves message to shoppers

FatFace has closed one of its high street stores - leaving shoppers wondering "what's left" in one particular UK town.

The fashion retailer shut its branch on Old Christchurch Road, in Bournemouth, on July 19. Local news site Bournemouth Echo said the FatFace shop had closed "suddenly" with a sign posted on its door.

The sign reads: "Thank you for shopping in our Bournemouth store. This store is now closed. Find us at FatFace.com." The sign features a QR code but this apparently offers no additional information about why the shop has shut.

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There was also a chalkboard inside the store, blocking the doors, saying: "Thank you for shopping with us!" Shoppers have been commenting on the closure on Facebook.

One person said: "Another one bites the dust." A second person commented: "It’s a sad day for Bournemouth!" A third posted: "Is there actually anything in Bournemouth town centre?"

The closure comes after FatFace closed its Peterborough branch on June 15. FatFace was founded in 1988 by Tim Slade and opened its first store in London in 1993.

The fashion brand was taken over by a consortium of lenders in 2020 before being snapped up by Next in 2023 in a deal worth a reported £115million.

At the time, the company said FatFace would stay being run by its own management and would also keep its "creative independence".

It comes after BrewDog revealed plans to shut ten bars - with one venue closing this week.

The Scottish brewery and craft beer company has confirmed its Camden branch will close on Friday, while the others - including its flagship Aberdeen venue - will pull down the shutters from this Saturday onwards.

Lakeland is also set to close another one of its stores. An employee of its branch in Reading told the Reading Chronicle that the shop is closing on August 8.

The news site reports that the shop has launched an "everything must go" sale, and says there are "closing soon" signs in the widow.

It comes after Asda announced plans to close one of its stores, putting 50 jobs at risk. The supermarket wants to close its Anchor Retail Park, Stepney Green, branch as it is no longer "viable commercially".

No exact closure date has been announced, but the lease on the building is reported to end in September. Asda told the Barking and Dagenham Post that it would try to offer affected workers other roles within the company. Asda has around 1,200 stores.

Poundland has also revealed plans to close 68 stores and two of its warehouses, in a move that puts more than 1,300 jobs at risk, after being sold to investment firm Gordon Brothers for £1.