A HIGH street card shop with over 60 locations across the UK has launched a major ‘everything must go’ closing down sale just months ahead of the store closing for good.
Last month, Cardzone in Stroud, Gloucestershire, hung a sign advertising a 20% sale off all products in efforts to get rid of stock before it never opens its doors again.
Shoppers in the area have been aware of its closure since May, but only now has a final date been revealed for its closure.
It has been confirmed to The Sun that Cardzone in Stroud, Gloucestershire, will cease trading in January 2025.
The news gives customers just another few months to get their hands on discounted cards, gift bags and candles.
Currently, the store is open between 9am – 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
On Saturdays they remain open until 5pm, before closing fully on Sundays.
Cardzone’s closure will be another blow to the town in South West England.
Customers just waved goodbye to bargain footwear brand Shoezone last April.
To make matters worse, Clarks also permanently closed its branch in the area at the start of this month.
At the time, Tony Davey, chair of the Stroud Chamber of Trade and Commerce, described the news as “very sad”.
Speaking to the Stroud News & Journal, he said the news was “very sad” and “will leave a gap to fill in the town”.
What is happening to the British high street?
Cardzone’s closure in Stroud is not a one off.
Earlier this year, it was announced the brand would close its site in Reigate following a major discount sale.
Two other Cardzone stores permanently shuttered last year as well.
The retailer, which has stores across the UK, shut branches in Beeston and Kirkby in Ashfield, both in Nottinghamshire.
News of the closure comes amid a challenging time for the whole of the UK’s retail sector.
High inflation coupled with a squeeze on consumers’ finances has meant people have less money to spend in the shops.
Also the rising popularity in online shopping has meant people are favouring digital ordering over visiting a physical store.
Unseasonably wet weather has also deterred shoppers from hitting the high street.
Figures released by the Office of National Statistics today showed online spending rose by a whopping 5.9 per cent in May- the largest monthly increase since April 2022.
However, spending at department stores, clothes shops and furniture stores lagged behind, growing by 3.5 per cent in May.
This ongoing issue has seen brands such as Paperchase, The Body Shop and Ted Baker go bust.
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.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year, and more are coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre’s director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is “less bad” than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
“The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend,” Prof Bamfield said.
“Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult.”
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023’s biggest failures included Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.
The Sun has approached Cardzone for comment.