Major high street retailer to close store for good and ‘all stock must go’

SHOPPERS are gutted to see another major high street shop close for good, with the retailer shifting “all stock” before Christmas.

This seductive store will shut shop on Christmas Eve so customers have been urged to get their naughty stocking fillers now.

Ann Summers in Doncaster city centre has been a staple on the high street for several decades and residents are devastated to see it go.

Known for its provocative lingerie and collection of risque bedroom toys, the shop is now offering a “warehouse clearance event” and a 70 per cent off sale.

An Ann Summers spokesperson said “As part of the normal course of business, we regularly review the location of our stores, which occasionally results in new site openings, renovations, relocations, and store closures.

“Unfortunately, the lease on our Doncaster store will come to an end in December 2024 and we will be closing the store.”

“Any employees affected by the closure have been consulted and informed throughout the process, as their welfare is a priority for us.”

Thankfully, Doncaster city residents can get their hands on some in-store closing down deals as a final farewell.

An online post stated: “All stock must go.

“Head down for your final chance and shop for amazing products at discounted prices.”

For those who will sorely miss the racy retailer, the next nearest shop is in Sheffield which is a half an hour drive away from Doncaster’s Baxter Gate store.

Some retailers have closed a few branches here and there for various reasons, like when a store lease has come to an end.

Other examples of one-off rather than widespread closures is if there are changes in the area, like a shopping centre closing, and in some cases a shop will close to relocate to another area.

Some chains have faced tougher conditions though, forcing them to shut dozens of stores, or all of them in the worst case.

Shoppers were disappointed when Ann Summers on Glasgow’s Argyle street closed down last year.

It was another high street favourite that was forced to shut after the landlord closed three units in the area.

However the brand promised to pop back up nearby and vowed that they weren’t gone for good but simply “relocating.”

Luckily, lovebirds also had another branch in the city if they couldn’t wait for the relocation name to drop.

Alternatively, fantasies can be fulfilled on the retailers website which can deliver directly to your home for an extra cost.

Ann Summers boasts 130 UK branches.

Meanwhile Ann Summers super fans have been getting their Christmas fix through their three naughty advent calendars.

As one of the only calendars you open before you go to bed, rather than when you wake up, it’s caused quite a stir on social media.

The 12 Nights of Exploration, 12 Nights of Paradise, and 12 Nights of Wonder sold from £80 to £200.

The closure isn’t the only one to hi Doncaster’s high streets.

House of Fraser in Doncaster shut down earlier this year.

Marks and Spencer, located in Baxtergate, has been in the town centre for more than 50 years but will shut for good in 2025 in a move shoppers have branded “disgusting”.

Frankie and Benny’s and Burger King are among the food chains to shut sites to.

But The Gate House pub was saved from closure by the hospitality giant Wetherspoons.

Why are retailers closing shops?

EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.

The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.

In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.

Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.

The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.

Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.

Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.

Boss Stuart Machin recently said that when it relocated a tired store in Chesterfield to a new big store in a retail park half a mile away, its sales in the area rose by 103 per cent.

In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase to name a few.

What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.

They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places