Oh my god. I was literally walking past The Square last week and everything seemed normal. Now it's just... gone. Another one bites the dust in Birmingham's retail apocalypse, and this time it's B&M that's fallen victim after one of their busiest locations went dark following The Square shopping centre's abrupt "indefinite" closure.
I've lived in Birmingham for 12 years and The Square has always been there - not exactly thriving, but surviving. Until now.
The Day Everything Went to Hell
Picture this: You're browsing through discounted Easter chocolates or whatever, and suddenly an announcement tells you to leave. Now. That's exactly what happened to shoppers at The Square back in March. My cousin was there buying garden stuff and said everyone was looking around confused, like "is this for real?"
Staff got some vague letter telling them to wait for updates. Updates that never really came.
Later we all found out there was a "high fire safety risk" - which sounds like corporate-speak for "this place could burn down any minute." Lovely.
What the hell happened?
Hammerson (the developer who probably wishes they never touched this place) released this statement that basically translates to "we're screwed": "We have been actively working to establish the nature of the extent of teh remedial works required in order to reduce the risk. However, it is clear that the improvements and mitigations required for safe reopening are materially beyond what is reasonably practicable to implement."
Translation: The electrical system is so messed up that fixing it would require shutting everything down for ages, and they've decided it's just not worth it.
So they're closing it. Indefinitely. Which we all know means forever.
B&M: Last One Standing (Until Now)
B&M has actually been one of the few success stories in retail lately. Back in 2023, they swooped in and bought 51 Wilko stores when that chain collapsed - I remember because my sister lost her job at Wilko and ended up working at one of the converted B&Ms.
They've been expanding while everyone else contracts. Their baby products start at 69p, for crying out loud. And their garden range? I spent £87 there last summer and completely transformed my tiny patio.
But even they couldn't survive this disaster.
Retail Bloodbath Continues
It's been brutal out there.
Brexit. Covid. That October budget that made everyone clutch their wallets in terror. It's all creating a perfect storm that's decimating the high street.
WHSmith is closing 6 stores this month alone. Aldi and Sports Direct are each axing one. And Home Store + More? Gone completely. Their "everything must go" sale was depressing - I went in hoping for bargains and left feeling like I was picking over a corpse.
Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves is out there defending her economic record while shops are dropping like flies. She keeps insisting the October Budget and Spring Statement were "necessary to stabilize the economy." Tell that to the people who just lost their jobs at B&M, Rachel.
Remember When Shopping Was Actually Fun?
I took my 7-year-old nephew shopping last weekend and he asked why so many shops had their shutters down. How do you explain to a kid that the entire concept of physical retail might not exist by the time he's grown up?
At least Reeves raised the National Living Wage by 6.7%. That's supposed to give three million Brits a £1,400 pay rise. Great news... if you still have a job.
For the B&M workers at The Square, that's cold comfort.
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