I drove through Worthing last weekend and honestly felt like I was touring a retail graveyard. The high street that used to buzz with Saturday shoppers now looks like it's been hit by some kind of retail apocalypse.
Fifteen shops. GONE. In just a few months.
My aunt's lived there since 1998, and she texted me last week saying, "Don't bother coming down to shop anymore. Nothing left to see." At first I thought she was just being dramatic (classic Aunt Jean), but wow... she wasn't kidding.
What the hell happened to British high streets?
According to those number-crunchers at the Office for National Statistics, Worthing's retail collapse is part of a wider bloodbath across Sussex. We're talking 625 shops shuttered county-wide. That's a 10% drop in retailers practically overnight.
I chatted with a few locals while grabbing a coffee at teh only café that seemed to have any customers. Their reactions ranged from resigned to downright depressed.
"It's sad that there is hardly any big departmental stores now," said Sally Richards, who's shopped in Worthing for decades.
Another shopper, Claire Szaja, looked genuinely upset when she told me the town was "not doing as well as it used to," adding, "I have seen businesses cutting hours and even closing down in the last few months which is sad."
Empty Windows and Fading Dreams
Walking down the main drag felt eerie. Those "TO LET" signs plastered everywhere might as well say "ABANDON HOPE." I counted seven empty storefronts in just one block.
Lorette Sprackling, who somehow keeps her Bijou Boutique afloat despite everything, didn't sugar-coat it: "It's not a good sign to have that many shops empty. It's quite upsetting knowing there's that many shops to let."
She mentioned they'd had "a bad winter" with barely any foot traffic. I wanted to buy something just to help her out, but ended up just getting a small bracelet. My daughter probably won't wear it, but whatever.
Remember when WH Smith was EVERYWHERE?
This isn't just a Worthing problem. The retail apocalypse is nationwide.
WH Smith just announced they're selling nearly 500 stores, with 20 closing within weeks. A company that's been on British high streets for literal centuries will soon only exist in train stations and airports.
God. I remember buying my first diary from WH Smith when I was 11. Had a little lock on it and everything. Those places were institutions.
Trump's tariff tantrum isn't helping
As if things weren't bad enough, Donald Trump's gone on a tariff rampage that threatens businesses worldwide. He's slapped 60 countries with massive import taxes—China got hammered with a ridiculous 104% increase.
The UK isn't escaping either. We're facing a 10% baseline tax on everything we send to America, with cars, aluminum and steel getting whacked with 25%.
My brother-in-law works for a car parts manufacturer in Birmingham. His response when I asked how they're handling it: "already updating my resume."
The Retail Extinction Continues...
Beales—one of our oldest department stores—is having its final closing down sale before shutting forever after 140+ years. Their last shop in Poole closes May 31st.
I went to their sale last weekend. Everything was 70% off, but it felt like attending a funeral. The staff looked shell-shocked.
New Look is another casualty, shuttering nearly 100 stores—about a quarter of all their locations. Stores in Gateshead, St Austell, and Porth are already in closing down mode.
Even beloved local institutions aren't immune. Huttons in London, that cute gift shop in Putney Exchange that's been around since the 90s, is closing because energy costs have gone through the roof.
I spent £40 there on Christmas cards last December. Should've bought more while I had the chance.
Is this just how it ends?
I remember Saturday shopping trips with my mum back in 2005. We'd make a day of it—lunch, browsing, trying on clothes we couldn't afford. Now my own daughter will never know what a proper high street feels like.
Instead, we click buttons and boxes appear at our door. Convenient? Sure. But something important is disappearing before our eyes.
And nobody seems to know how to stop it.
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