A MAJOR supermarket chain is set to shut down more branches following a string of closures earlier this year.
Co-op is pulling down the shutters on two stores in July and August.
Co-op is closing two branches within weeks
The retailer will close its branch in Castle House, Sheffield, on July 22, with nearby stores in Broad Lane and Glossop Road remaining open.
Meanwhile, the chain’s branch in Mildenhall Road, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, is pulling down its shutters for good on August 19.
Commenting on the Bury closure, a spokesperson for the business said it “regularly reviews all of its sites and decisions regarding any store are only taken after careful consideration”.
It comes after Co-op shut a number of other branches earlier this year with others mooted for closure.
The chain closed its branch in Princess Drive, Grantham, in January while its store in Linthorpe Village, Middlesbrough closed the same month.
Meanwhile, its shop in Lodge Lane, Bridgnorth, closed in January and its branch in Folkestone Central Train station shut for renovation.
The supermarket in Ombersley Road, Claines, was planned for closure in March this year although a date was not confirmed at the time.
However, in March, Co-op said six new stores would open by the end of the month.
Retailers and the high street have been hit hard in recent years as customers turn their attentions to online shopping.
The trend has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which saw households forced to stay at home.
That, combined with higher energy and wage costs for companies, has led to a number of stores closing for good.
This month, Iceland announced it is shutting a further three branches after a string of closures.
The frozen food chain has already closed more than half a dozen shops since February.
Iceland’s Cowden High Street store in Fife will bring down its shutters for good on August 12.
It is also closing its Llanelli store on Saturday, September 2.
The chain’s supermarket in the Market Shopping Centre in Crewe will then close for the last time on September 16.
However, the retailer has also opened a new store in Slough and two new shops under the Food Warehouse brand in Kendal and Aberdeen in recent weeks.
Argos has recently announced further store closures and plans to shut even more in the next year too.
The retailer has already closed 37 of its UK stores, including all 34 of its Republic of Ireland branches.
High street bakery chain also Le Pain Quotidien recently shut nine of its 10 units after crashing into administration.
It’s not just retailers pulling down the shutters on branches either – a number of high street banks are closing units.
This is due to customers progressively turning to online banking and away from using physical branches.
Here is the full list of banks closing branches this summer.
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