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Published 13:48 27 Dec 2025 GMT
Updated 13:48 27 Dec 2025 GMT

A new year is meant to be a time of renewed hopes, dreams and aspirations - wiping the slate clean.
However, for the UK high streets, it looks like in 2026 they'll be getting wiped clean too.
Of course the closing down and opening of stores is a regular occurrence, however, it's no secret that the increase in closures is a worrying trend for high streets everywhere.
Multiple large stores were either forced into administration or brushed with it in 2025, including the likes of Claire’s, Bodycare and Poundland.
Back in 2024, around 13,000 shut up shop permanently, while the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
This would indicate a 33% increase.
A number of notable retailers have already confirmed closures for 2026, so here's a list of all the ones that are slated to shut down.
River Island recently announced a restructuring programme that would see a number of stores close.
These are:
Poundland found themselves in trouble earlier this year, teetering on the edge of administration before being sold to Gordon Brothers for just £1.
A cash injection and restructuring has followed, with a number of stores being shut down, or set to be shut.
The well-known charity shop announced earlier this year that it would be undergoing a restructuring which will see around 88 stores closed by May 2026.
A full list of these stores set to close can be found at the bottom of this article.
Earlier this year Amazon Fresh announced it would be closing all of its high-tech grocery stores.
Amazon is set to shut up shop permanently at all 19 of its UK stores, all located in London but one, after only opening its first Amazon Fresh store in 2021.
The stores featured a system which allowed customers to simply pick what they wanted off the shelves and walk out the shop without using a till.
Shoppers would use an app to gain access to the store and were then billed on the platform after leaving with an array of cameras and technology used to determine what products had been purchased.
The company said that the move is part of its UK grocery operations, focusing more on the online side of the business.
A number of high street bank branches are set to leave the high street in 2026 in a continuing trend away from the physical and onto the internet.
Lloyds Banking Group expect to close 49 branches in 2026 including 10 Halifax branches and 13 Bank of Scotland locations.
These are:
While not technically 2026, NatWest are set to close six locations on 31 December 2025.
These are:
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