Major UK chain to close 88 shops in huge blow to high street

They have around 600 stores nationwide

Cancer research has confirmed that 88 stores across the nation will be shut down by May 2026 with another 100 set to follow by April 2027.

With the charity possessing around 600 shops in the UK, this would mean almost a third of high street shops closing by 2027.

Locations including Birmingham, Edinburgh and High Wycombe are set to be closed by May 2026.

The charity has pointed the finger at higher national insurance contributions, pressures of inflation as well as the ever-changing consumer habits as reasons for the move.

These closures are expected to affect around 600 members of staff and up to 3,000 volunteers, although the charity did say it would redeploy some staff and help others find new roles elsewhere.

Meanwhile, it was announced that the charity would also be closing its online marketplace in early 2026.

It is estimated that around 320 of their shops will remain open across the country.

With the charity looking to open 12 more 'superstores' by 2028, it's possible that Cancer Research are moving away from smaller local shops in many locations, to larger stores, but in less places.

The charity already has 46 of these.

The changes are expected to bring in over £12 million for the charity over the next five years.

The closure reflects the continued decline of the British high street which had relied heavily on charity stores in the past.

The Sun reported that staff were told the move comes in response to changing trends such as people selling clothes on Vinted and Depop rather than donating them.

Staff were reportedly sent an internal memo from retail head Julie Byard detailing the job cuts last Wednesday.

The memo said: "We know that if we don't act now, a significant number of our shops and our online marketplace are likely to become financially unsustainable over the next five years.

"To ensure we can invest more in life-saving cancer research and give a better experience to our staff, volunteers and customers into the future, we're reshaping our retail operations."