This Outdoor Gear Chain Just Went Full Panic Mode (And I'm Here for the Bargains)

By HOAR Team 31 July, 2025 5 mins read 375 Views

Okay, so I was walking past the Millets on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough last week and nearly did a double-take.

Giant "CLOSING DOWN SALE" signs plastered everywhere. Like, everywhere. The kind of desperate signage that makes you feel slightly uncomfortable but also weirdly excited about potential deals.

Turns out they're shutting the doors in September, which honestly doesn't surprise me. I've watched this whole outdoor retail thing implode over the past few years, and it's been brutal to witness.

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The Numbers Game (Spoiler: It's Not Pretty)

Here's what's actually happening behind teh scenes. Millets announced back in October they were axing six stores early in 2025. Six! That's not just trimming fat - that's surgical removal of entire limbs.

But here's where it gets interesting. Four of those locations were supposed to get a second life as GO Outdoors stores - Lowestoft, Douglas, York, and Grimsby. Like corporate reincarnation or something.

The Middlesbrough closure though? Nobody seems to know if this was part of the original death list or if it's bonus carnage.

I reached out to Millets for comment and got the corporate equivalent of radio silence. Classic.

When "Restructuring" Means "Help, We're Drowning"

Look, I've been covering retail for eight years now, and this whole situation feels like watching dominoes fall in slow motion.

Burgess Hill already bit the dust in January. Bracknell's running a 30% off everything sale (which, let's be honest, probably should have been their regular pricing strategy). And Worthing's getting the GO Outdoors Express treatment - whatever that means.

The Worthing store's been there since 2016. Eight years of selling North Face jackets and Berghaus boots, and now it's getting a corporate makeover because... reasons?

JD Sports: The Unlikely Hero (Sort Of)

Here's the backstory that makes this whole mess even more depressing.

JD Sports actually rescued Millets back in 2012 when they bought the brand from Blacks, which was in administration. So basically, JD Sports played superhero once already.

Now they're playing... what? Corporate surgeon? Efficiency expert? I honestly don't know what to call this strategy.

The High Street Apocalypse Continues

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Monki's closing their Glasgow store in August. New Look's already shuttered 11 branches this year (their Neath location closes August 6th - mark your calendars, I guess). Poundland's axing 37 stores after that whole Gordon Brothers sale drama.

Oh, and WhSmith? They're basically disappearing from high streets entirely. Hobbycraft's parent company bought them out and they're all becoming TGJones stores now. Which sounds like a made-up name if you ask me.

The whole thing makes me feel like I'm watching the retail equivalent of musical chairs, except the music stopped years ago adn everyone's still pretending to dance.

But hey - if you need outdoor gear and don't mind shopping in a store that feels like a going-out-of-business funeral, now's probably your moment.

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