Every store closure in February including Shoe Zone, Poundland and more

A fresh wave of store closures has hit UK high streets this month, with major retailers including Shoe Zone and Poundland among those shutting their doors. With rising costs, weaker consumer demand, and challenging trading conditions, businesses continue to face the pressure of keeping afloat.

Shoppers across the country may notice fewer high-street options as these closures take effect. From clothing stores to homeware and entertainment, here is the full list of every store closing this year. Is your town on the list? 

GAME

The company has steadily reduced its high-street presence but will continue operating through roughly 200 concession outlets within Frasers Group stores, including Sports Direct and House of Fraser locations. It hasn’t been confirmed exactly when GAME’s final stores will shut, but these are the locations:

• Merry Hill, Dudley
• Nicholas Arcade, Lancaster
• Times Square Shopping Centre, Sutton

Speaking to Games Industry.biz, managing director Nick Arran said: “Gaming is our core business, and we will be the last man standing selling physical video games. We see our place in the market as proving that there is a place for physical, whether that be the collector’s editions, which we see as the vinyl of video games, or the gifter who doesn’t want to wrap up a download code for Christmas.

“But we need to be realistic. We have a business to run, and the expectation is that this will decline. So we need to fill that gap. Expect more locations from us. We are constantly in talks with Frasers Group about where we could open up more concessions.”

River Island 

River Island announced the closure of 32 of its shops last month due to a restructuring plan designed to address ongoing financial difficulties. River Island operates more than 200 stores across the UK, with around 5,500 staff.

Complete list of River Island shops closing in 2026:

• Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
• Bangor Bloomfield, Northern Ireland
• Barnstaple, Devon
• Beckton, Greater London
• Brighton, East Sussex
• Burton-Upon-Trent, Derbyshire
• Cumbernauld, Scotland
• Didcot, Oxfordshire
• Edinburgh Princes Street, Scotland
• Falkirk, Scotland
• Gloucester, Gloucestershire
• Great Yarmouth
• Grimsby, Lincolnshire
• Hanley, Staffordshire
• Hartlepool, County Durham
• Hereford, Herefordshire
• Kilmarnock, Scotland
• Kirkcaldy, Scotland
• Leeds Birstall Park, West Yorkshire
• Lisburn, Northern Ireland
• Northwich, Cheshire
• Norwich, Norfolk
• Oxford, Oxfordshire
• Perth, Scotland
• Poole, Dorset
• Rochdale, Greater Manchester
• St Helens, Merseyside
• Surrey Quays, Greater London
• Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire
• Taunton, Somerset
• Workington, Cumbria
• Wrexham, Wales

House of Fraser

Closure notices in the windows of its Plymouth branch confirm it will cease trading in March 2026, leaving the iconic department store with just 11 locations nationwide. The outlet had previously been earmarked for closure in 2018 when House of Fraser fell into administration, but it was saved after Sports Direct bought the chain for £90 million.

The retail chain also announced plans to shut its Darlington store. It was originally going to close in 2024, but it later signed a one-year deal to stay in town. A Darlington Council spokesperson described the move as “disappointing.” They continued: “The store has been at the heart of our town centre for many years and will undoubtedly be a miss for Darlington shoppers.”

Poundland

Poundland has already shut a number of stores across the country as part of its restructuring plans, with 32 more set to close in early 2026. 

According to The Metro, Poundland stores that have or are due to close this month are:

• Chichester
• Feltham
• Crayford
• Nottingham (Chilwell)
• Urmston

Full list of Poundland stores set to close in 2026:

• Lancaster, Lancashire
• Northampton Sixfields, Northamptonshire
• Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
• Hammersmith, Greater London
• Prestatyn, Denbighshire
• Faversham, Kent
• Liverpool, Merseyside
• Yeovil, Somerset
• Nottingham Eastpoint, Nottinghamshire
• Lymington, Hampshire
• Christchurch (47 High Street), Dorset
• Bristol Avon Meads, Bristol
• Winton, Dorset
• Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
• Christchurch (Meteor Retail Park), Dorset
• Arnold, Nottinghamshire
• Worthing, West Sussex
• Droitwich, Worcestershire
• Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Weston Favell, Northamptonshire
• Portishead, Somerset
• Grantham, Lincolnshire
• Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
• Farnham, Surrey
• Brighton, East Sussex
• Hempstead Valley, Kent
• Bexhill, East Sussex
• Ponders End, Greater London
• Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland
• Mitcham, Greater London
• Cameron Toll, Edinburgh, Scotland

Shoe Zone 

Shoe Zone has confirmed it will shut its Salisbury store. Black-and-yellow closing-down signs have been placed in the windows, and the branch is expected to close between April and June.

Chairman Charles Smith shared: “Trading conditions remained challenging in the first quarter of the new financial year, with revenue down on forecast, reflecting ongoing macro-economic pressures that continue to weigh on consumer confidence, resulting in lower footfall on the UK high street, alongside the highly adverse Government fiscal policies.

“The Government’s November 2025 budget included an additional increase in the national living wage, raising our cost base further, with broader measures not materially improving consumer sentiment.”

The company saw store sales drop 10.3% to £113.1 million over 2024-25, having ended the year with 28 fewer stores on a net basis, at 269 in total. It shut 39 shops but opened 11, while also revamping six to its larger format.

Schuh

Another popular footwear retailer, Schuh, has closed its store at The Broadway in Bradford. A spokesperson for the shopping centre confirmed the closure and said new retailers will be announced soon. Schuh opened its first store in Edinburgh in 1981 and now operates more than 120 outlets across the UK and Ireland.

A spokeswoman for Schuh said: “The UK retail sector is undergoing rapid transformation, shaped by shifting consumer behaviours and in response, Schuh is evolving to strengthen its position for the future.

“Schuh is making strategic decisions to adapt, including the necessary closure of several underperforming stores, among them our Bradford store in The Broadway Shopping Centre.”

Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop

Claire’s Accessories and The Original Factory Shop entered administration in January 2026 after Modella Capital said efforts to rescue the brands had failed. The move puts 1,355 jobs at risk across 154 Claire’s Accessories stores in the UK and Ireland. With more than 280 UK outlets, Claire’s reported losses of around £25 million in recent years. 

A spokesperson for the brand’s owner said: “Very sadly, we have had to initiate insolvency proceedings for The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) and Claire’s Accessories UK & Ireland. This has been a very tough decision,” reported the Metro.

“We have worked intensively in an effort to save both businesses, having made last-ditch attempts to rescue them, but neither has a realistic possibility of trading profitably again. In these circumstances, administration is the only option. In both cases, the legacy effects of trading prior to our ownership left them highly vulnerable.

Jules B 

Popular high street designer retailer Jules B has entered administration. Founded in 1984, the independent fashion chain describes itself as having grown into a “leading force in the world of fashion,” selling clothing, footwear and accessories from labels including Mulberry, Paul Smith and UGG.

Administrators Philip Ross and Allan Kelly of FRP Advisory were appointed on February 17.

Marasu’s Petit Fours

London-based Marasu’s Petit Fours, one of the capital’s largest luxury chocolate makers, has entered administration. The Park Royal-based firm, producing over 300 tons annually, has supplied Prestat, Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges and Harrods.

Administrators were appointed on February 6, with the news announced on February 17. Founded in 1902, the chocolatier recently closed its Piccadilly store amid weak sales and rising cocoa costs.