New Look in St Austell to close for good
New Look will permanently close its St Austell store next month, part of a larger plan affecting many UK locations.
St Austell, Cornwall, New Look, UK, Retail
St Austell: New Look is closing its store in White River. This is part of a bigger plan affecting many stores across the UK. Last month, the brand announced that about a quarter of its 364 stores might shut down when their leases end.
This could mean around 91 stores closing, impacting about 8,000 employees. New Look has already restructured its stores twice in six years, dropping from nearly 600 locations in 2018.
For now, all stores are open, but the St Austell location has confirmed it will close next month. A sign in the window says goodbye to shoppers and includes a QR code for online shopping.
The sign reads: “St Austell, thanks for having us. But it’s time to say goodbye. This store will be closing on Tuesday, March 4.” New Look also has stores in Truro and Falmouth.
Experts think retailers like New Look may speed up closures before the new financial year starts in April. Changes from the Chancellor will increase national insurance rates and lower the payment threshold.
Additionally, the minimum wage will rise by 6.7% to £12.21 an hour. Retail business rates will also increase by £140 million starting in April.
Since 2018, New Look has cut its store count significantly. They now operate 364 stores on short leases tied to sales performance.
A spokesperson for New Look mentioned that store closures sometimes happen due to landlord requests or unviable locations. However, they are always looking for new opportunities and continue to invest in their existing stores.