God, I hate being the bearer of bad news.
But here we are: Hobbycraft is shutting down nine stores across the UK, and they're doing it FAST. We're talking June 21st fast. Bristol, Dunstable, Borehamwood, Basildon – all gone. Just like that. I spent three hours yesterday calling around to confirm this mess, and honestly? My heart breaks a little for the craft enthusiasts who are about to lose their weekend sanctuary.
The closures hit Essex particularly hard with two locations going dark, plus one in Gloucestershire. Kent already lost theirs earlier this year (RIP Canterbury store – you were always packed when I visited).
When Private Equity Meets Your Favorite Craft Store
Here's teh thing that really gets me: this isn't some random business failure. Modella Capital bought Hobbycraft last August, and now they're doing what private equity firms do best – "restructuring." That's corporate speak for "we're closing the stores that don't make enough money." Between 72 and 126 people are losing their jobs. Real people with mortgages and kids and weekend plans that just got obliterated.
The same Modella Capital, by the way, that's also buying WHSmith's high street business. They're basically collecting struggling retailers like Pokemon cards at this point.
The Human Cost (Because Someone Has to Say It)
I've been reading the local Facebook groups, and honestly... it's heartbreaking. One Bristol resident called it a "shame" – which feels like the most British understatement ever. Another person said they need to find a new "rainy day activity." But my favorite response came from a Kent local who wrote: "Oh noooooo it's the only one I go to regularly as the rest are too far away!" (Yes, with exactly that many o's.)
One person literally said they'd "need therapy" after the closure.
Listen, I get it. These stores aren't just retail spaces – they're community hubs where people go to decompress, create something with their hands, and forget about whatever garbage is happening in the world for a few hours.
At Least There Are Sales? (Silver Lining Department)
If you're near one of these doomed locations, they've launched closing-down sales with up to 70% off some items. I drove to the Bristol location last weekend and it was chaos – good chaos, but still chaos. People were buying yarn like they were preparing for a post-apocalyptic knitting scenario.
Here's your complete hit list of closures:
Canterbury, Kent – already closed (pour one out)
Basildon, Essex – June 21
Borehamwood, Hertfordshire – June 21
Bristol, Imperial Retail Park – June 21
Dunstable, Bedfordshire – June 21
Epping Forest, Essex – June 21
Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex – June 21
Cirencester, Gloucestershire – June 21
Bagshot, Surrey – June 21
It's Not Just Hobbycraft (Because 2024 Wasn't Depressing Enough)
While we're talking about retail apocalypse, let me ruin your day further. The Original Factory Shop is closing 11 stores this month too. Worcestershire, Durham, Cumbria – all getting hit. Another five stores are literally up for sale like they're on eBay.
Guess who owns them now? That's right – our friends at Modella Capital again. They're like the Grim Reaper of British retail, except instead of a scythe, they carry spreadsheets and CVA documents.
The Original Factory Shop closures include:
Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire – June 26
Perth – June 28
Chester Le Street, County Durham – June 28
Arbroath, Angus – June 28
Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire – June 28
Pershore, Worcestershire – June 28
Normanton, West Yorkshire – June 28
Peterhead, Aberdeenshire – June 28
Shaftesbury, Dorset – June 28
Staveley, Cumbria – July 12
Middlewich – TBC (because uncertainty makes everything better)
What This Actually Means
Look, I'm not an economist, but I've covered enough of these stories to recognize the pattern. Companies use something called a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) to avoid complete collapse – basically negotiating with landlords to pay less rent or restructure debt. It's like financial CPR for dying businesses.
Modella says this will "secure the future" of 99 remaining stores and around 1,800 jobs. That sounds great until you remember that securing those jobs required destroying others.
The craft community is tight-knit (pun intended), and losing these spaces means losing gathering places, learning opportunities, adn honestly, a bit of joy in an increasingly joyless retail landscape.
If you've got a Hobbycraft near you that's staying open, maybe give them some love this weekend. Buy something. Take a class. Remind them why these places matter in the first place.
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