A HIGH street clothing and outdoor retailer with more than 260 stores is to close another branch and shoppers are “shocked”.
Mountain Warehouse has confirmed that it is closing its site in Ryde on the Isle of Wight.
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A spokesperson said no exact closure date has been set.
The store has launched a closing down sale in order for shoppers to grab last minute bargains, according to local media reports.
Shoppers have been left stunned by the decision, with many taking to social media to share their opinions.
Commenting on Facebook, one shopper said: “I’m shocked at this as I thought it would be a popular store with the real lack of clothes and shoes stores in Ryde town and they often have sales.”
Another wrote: “Such a shame, and a big loss for Ryde.
“I’ve shopped here a few times and the staff have always been very friendly and helpful.”
While a third added: “Not many shops survive for long.”
Shoezone and Iceland have both closed stores on the Isle of Wight this year.
It comes after Mountain Warehouse relocated its store in London Street, Norwich to Haymarket earlier this year.
It follows the closure in August of its Marshalls Yard store in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.
And earlier in the year the retailer closed down its Basingstoke store and its premises in the McArthur Glen retail outlet in Swindon.
The retailer will not confirm if it has plans to close any further stores at this time.
The cost of living crisis, stubbornly high inflation and energy costs are taking their toll on retailers.
Shoppers have been cutting back spending, while the cost of actually running a store has also increased, meaning some outlets have struggled to keep going.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) this summer found the UK had lost 6,000 stores over a five-year period.
Several major brands have also collapsed and closed stores for good.
A number of well-known retailers including Argos, M&S and Poundstretcher have closed stores in recent months.
But others have been hit so hard they’ve been left on the brink of administration.
We have put together a guide to all the stores closing this month including Boots and B&M.
However, some big brands are expanding the number of stores they operate.
Marks and Spencer is set to open nine new shops this month and some are throwing their doors open for the first time within days.
B&M is also opening more than a dozen new branches across the UK by the end of 2023.
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