A TRUSTY car retailer has announced it’s shutting one branch in a Tyne and Wear town.
The Halfords branch in Washington, near Gateshead is set to close its doors for good in just a week.
The chain is famous for flogging everything from cycling paraphernalia to car parts.
You can even get your yearly MOT done at Halfords Autocentres.
Drivers in the area are sad to see the store go, which is as a result of the lease on the branch coming to and end.
One wrote on Facebook: “That’s a shame. Hope the staff are offered jobs at other branches”.
But another quipped: “Closing down sale I wonder?”
But there’s good news for those nearby as there are four other stores within a 20 minute drive.
A Halfords representative said: “We can confirm our Halfords Washington store will be permanently closing on August 9.
“The store has closed as a result of the lease coming to an end.
“We’d like to thank all our customers for their support of the Halfords Washington store which has been serving local customers for nearly 14 years.
“We look forward to welcoming them at our four nearby stores – Team Valley, Sunderland, Durham and South Shields – which are all located within a 20 minute drive.
“We are dedicated to supporting everyone affected and are providing our colleagues with opportunities at alternative locations where possible.
“Halfords has been supporting motorists and cyclists for over 130 years, and we’re continuing to invest in our locations across the country.
“We have been busy transforming our retail stores and autocentres to provide customers with a more connected, seamless, and interactive experience.
“By supporting local communities, we are making it simpler than ever to look after their motoring needs.”
Halfords was founded in 1892 and it’s listed on the London Stock Exchange.
The Birmingham-founded chain has closed a handful of stores in recent months – but it still has more than 10,000 staff at over 750 locations across the UK.
Halfords in Moorside Road Retail Park in Winnall ceased trading on Friday, July 5 for an unspecified reason.
A branch in Hambledon Road in Hampshire will shut for good on August 9.
In January, Halfords pulled the shutters down on its branch in The Merry Hill Centre, in Brierley Hill, Dudley
Halfords also closed branches last year, including sites in Cambridge, Lincoln and Gloucestershire.
Some retailers have closed a few branches here and there for various reasons, for examples when a store lease has come to an end, like Halfords’ Washington branch.
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 branch 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.
Retailers opening stores
IT'S not all bad news on the high street as several retailers are bucking the trend and opening shops.
- German discounter Aldi has announced it will open 35 new UK stores this year. The openings form part of Aldi‘s long-term target of operating 1,500 stores in the UK.
- Asda has been opening hundreds of convenience stores as it looks to rival major players Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
- Purepay Retail Limited , the parent company of Bonmarché, Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) and Peacocks, Purepay Retail Limited, has said it wants to open 100 new high street stores over the next 18 months.
- Home Bargains has said it wants to “eventually have between 800 and 1,000 retail outlets open”.
- Primark is also opening new branches and investing and renovating more than a dozen of its existing shops.
- Screwfix is set to open 40 new stores nationwide as its owner, Kingfisher, seeks to expand the DIY brand’s national presence.
- Tesco has revealed plans to open 70 more stores across the UK over the next year as part of major expansion plans.
- WHSmith has turned its focus to the travel side of its business, with plans to open new sites in airports, railway stations and hospitals.