- Money
- Retail
BABY DON'T GO
Find out more on why retailers are closing stores
- Emily Mee
- Emily Mee
SHOPPERS have been left devastated after a popular shop announced it will be closing its doors.
Simply Baby in Lancaster has said it will be shutting after 20 years in business.
1
In a post on Facebook, the shop said: "We would like to announce that we have taken the decision to close our doors at Simply Baby Lancaster, and we will be going into retirement at the end of March.
"We would like to take the opportunity to thank all our loyal customers, both past and present over the last 20 years as the Simply Baby team have loved serving you, and we can 100 per cent reassure our customers that all current orders will be fulfilled, and any outstanding customer service issues will be dealt with.
"Thank you, Julie & The Simply Baby Lancaster Team x"
Owner Julie Shaw told local news that the shop will be going into retirement and a closing down sale is taking place.
More on shop closures
The shop has said it will be offering "amazing discounts" on ex-display and full-boxed stock, including prams, car seats, furniture and accessories.
Yesterday it opened its doors into the evening to kick off the start of its sale.
Customers appeared devastated by the announcement, with many offering their support on social media.
"So sorry to see such a great shop go. You have provided so many prams and furniture for my family," one commenter said.
Most read in Money
BENEFITS HITDWP benefit cuts CONFIRMED including change to PIP and Universal Credit
GRAVY TRAINFrom eczema to bedwetting - the Brits claiming £10k in disability benefits
SMOKE SHOW'Iconic' new crisps coming to UK supermarkets in DAYS - where to find them
RISKY BUSINESSFuture of discount chain with 187 shops uncertain putting stores at risk
Another wrote: "Thank you for the two beautiful prams I got for my grandsons."
A third said: "What a great shop. You were so helpful when I bought my pram 12 years ago. Took me many visits to decide and I loved it!"
Huge coffee chain with over 1,300 shops to close high street shop
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
Highenergycosts and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, withworse set to come in 2025."
It comes after almost 170,000retailworkers lost theirjobsin 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such asHomebaseandTed Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of theCOVID-19pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase,The Body Shop,Carpetrightand Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
Paul Cusimano from Totally Local Lancaster, a group supporting city businesses, told North Lancashire's Beyond Radio it was a "huge loss for Lancaster, parents and prospective parents".
"For many years now, they have been the only baby shop in Lancaster, but that didn't matter, because they were the best!" he said.
"We want to thank Julie, whilst wishing her team all the best in their futures."
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than halfofcompanies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, withworse set to come in 2025."
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
Topics
- Children parenting and family life
- jobs
- Parenting advice
- Small Business
- Store closings
YOU MIGHT LIKE
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
MORE FOR YOU
