High street chain to shut another six shops starting this weekend ahead of 77 branches closing – is your local affected?

A MAJOR high street chain is set to close six stores starting in hours after shuttering 50 shops this year.

Scope, a charity shop chain with stores across England and Wales, is shuttering six branches between August 30 and September 27.

Scope will shut six shops in the next month as it battles with costs and low footfall[/caption]

This includes a shop in Alton, which will shut on Saturday.

Shops in Bishop’s Stortford, Huntingdon and Newmarket will shut on September 6.

Meanwhile, shops in Beverley and Fleet will close for good on September 27.

Here is the full list of stores closing in the coming days:

• Alton 30 – August
• Bishop’s Stortford – 6 September
• Huntingdon – 6 September
• Newmarket – 6 September
• Beverley – 27 September
• Fleet – 27 September

The six closures come after Scope has already shut 50 branches since early March following a consultation process earlier this year.

Six shops closed before the end of the consultation, including stores in Bexhill, Mitcham and Worthing.

A further 18 shut stores before March 31 and included shops in Amersham, Barking and Scunthorpe.

A wave of closures followed in May, with 11 shops including Exmouth, Bury and Newport closing their doors for the final time by May 31.

A final set of closures followed this summer as ten stores shut for good by June 29, one closed on July 19 and four closed by August 19.

In total the chain is considering shutting 77 of its 138 shops across the country.

Debbie Boylen, head of retail at disability equality charity Scope, said:  “We never take the decision to close our stores lightly. 

“We recognise that for our colleagues and volunteers, it’s more than just a job.

“We know they feel passionately about playing their part in our work to create an equal future with disabled people, and our decision does not reflect their hard work or dedication to Scope.”

She added that Scope continues to have a future on the high street and its shops will continue to be a place where the charity directly engages with local communities.

Why is Scope closing stores?

Scope first launched a consultation to close dozens of its stores in January due to declining footfall and spiralling cost.

Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said at the time that the charity’s retail arm had made a “real contribution to raising vital income” but external factors had “made trading harder”.

He added: “This situation isn’t confined to Scope. All retailers have been hit with a greater shift to online shopping.

“And we are facing rising rents, soaring energy costs, increased staff costs, and the cost of living squeezing customers.”

In its annual report for the year to March 2024, Scope said it had made £24million from trading activities, up from £23.6million in the year before.

But in the same year it spent £24.7million maintaining and operating its shops, £1million more than in the previous year.

Scope began to shutter stores this year in order to focus on its most profitable shops.

A number of loss-making shops have since been closed, which has led to a number of job losses.

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