God, I hate writing these stories. Another high street casualty, another chunk of childhood magic vanishing from our towns.
I drove past The Entertainer in Barrow yesterday - those "CLOSING DOWN" signs plastered across teh windows like some kind of retail obituary. Made me think of dragging my nephew there last Christmas, watching his face light up at the LEGO display. That's all done now.
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When the fun stops...
Early May spells the end for Barrow-in-Furness' branch of Britain's biggest toy chain. After nearly seven years of trading from the old Argos unit, they're pulling the plug on May 3rd.
The company's being pretty tight-lipped about specifics. Keith Stenhouse (Head of Region) gave me the standard corporate line about being "sad" and thanking everyone for their "loyalty and support." Translation: not making enough cash to justify keeping the lights on.
Listen. I've covered enough retail closures since 2020 to recognize the pattern. The Entertainer still has over 160 standalone stores nationwide plus those 861 Tesco concessions. One store closing won't break their balance sheet, but it's devastating for Barrow.
More than just plastic tat and noisy gadgets
I chatted with John Edwards yesterday (former manager at the Barrow branch) who was properly devastated about the closure. "It was always important to me it wasn't just a shop, it had to be an experience and be somewhere kids were excited to go," he told me.
Edwards also mentioned how the store had been deeply involved with local charities and the Barrow BID initiative to breathe life back into the struggling town center. Now there'll just be another empty unit gathering dust.
Remember when town centers were actual destinations? I spent my teenage years hanging around shops like this in the 90s. My 15-year-old nephew spends his time on TikTok instead. Progress, I guess.
The locals are proper upset
I scrolled through the reviews last night (insomnia's a killer) and found dozens of glowing comments from loyal customers:
"The staff here are incredible. It is obvious they love their jobs and nothing is too much trouble," wrote one shopper.
Another commented: "Really nice staff this, is literally one of the best Toy stores in barrow probs the best out of all of them."
My favorite was this brutally honest one: "Very friendly & helpful staff we definitely came out with more things than we wanted xx" - I feel that in my soul and my wallet.
The Entertainer's vanishing act continues...
Barrow isn't the first casualty. The company has already shuttered five other locations since January - Luton, Croydon, Edinburgh, Brent Cross adn Haslemere all got the chop.
Back in 2018, I interviewed Gary Grant (The Entertainer's founder) at a trade show in London. He bet me £10 I couldn't name all the original Thunderbirds characters. I lost. But he was bullish about the future of physical toy retail then, even with Amazon breathing down everyone's neck.
Wonder what he'd say now.
What's left for Barrow?
I spent a day in Barrow last summer for a piece on coastal town regeneration. Not exactly thriving, is it? The loss of every shop hits harder in places already struggling.
When The Entertainer opened in 2017, it was seen as a vote of confidence in the town. Now it's just another "sorry we're closed" sign in a window.
And the kids? They'll have to make do with supermarket toys or online shopping. Not the same magic as pressing all the demo buttons and making the staff secretly hate you.
The staff will be "supported through this situation" according to the company. Whatever that means in 2025.
Feels like we're watching the high street die in slow motion, doesn't it?
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