A well-liked high street chain, Yours Clothing, is set to close its branch in Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre within days, initiating a closing down sale to clear stock. Yours Clothing is the UK’s leading plus-size fashion retailer, with more than 100 stores throughout the UK and a global website.
It marks another blow to shoppers after a busy year of store closures in 2024 and several fresh waves of retail action since the start of this year. The Centre for Retail Research reported that 8,543 stores on the high street closed in the year to November 2024, and in 2023, the high street lost 10,500 shops. According to the Birmingham Mail, AK Retail, which owns fashion brand Evans and retailer M&Co, will reportedly close the 14-year-old store this weekend.
Saturday, March 15, marks the final trade day for the Yours Clothing brand in the Bullring shopping centre.
Fans of the Birmingham store will now have to travel 13.5 miles to its Merry Hill branch or 7.6 miles to the West Bromwich branch.
The closure will disappoint many who have previously praised it as a “lovely shop”. One customer said: “I love that there’s a shop for us plus-size girlies… lovely layout of the shop; the lady who served me was lovely – overall, a great experience.”
It’s another blow for Birmingham locals, who have seen several stores close recently. Clothing retailer Monki closed its Birmingham store on March 9.
Similarly, Waitrose closed one of its branches in the area in January, citing that “despite the best efforts,” they could not make the shop “commercially sustainable”.
The high street is facing a crisis as numerous retailers are closing stores due to the shift towards online shopping and high business rates.
Rising inflation has also hit shoppers’ wallets hard. According to the Centre for Retail Research’s latest analysis, 13,479 stores, equivalent to 37 each day, permanently closed their doors in 2024.
Of these, 11,341 were independent shops, while larger retailers accounted for the closure of 2,138 stores. The data also revealed that over half of the closures last year were due to insolvency proceedings.
The trend continues into 2025, with retailers like New Look accelerating their store closure programme ahead of April’s National Insurance increase.
Approximately a quarter of the retailer’s 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire, potentially affecting around 91 stores and significantly impacting its 8,000-strong workforce.
The company has restructured its store estate twice in the past six years, reducing its portfolio from around 600 UK stores in 2018.
According to The Sun, the company also shuttered all 26 of its outlets across Ireland, ending its two-decade-long presence in the country.