Major supermarket brands will shut branches this month in a new wave of store closures.
It follows a busy fortnight of action by other retailers including Boots, Costa Coffee, and Lidl.
Now Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Argos are the latest brands to follow suit with a handful of branches confirmed to pull the shutters down later this year.
While Argos is not a supermarket in its own right, the merchant is owned by industry giant, Sainsbury’s, which will also bid farewell to some of its shops.
Closures could leave shoppers with no choice but to switch their go-to supermarket, though most will find an alternative branch nearby.
Sainsbury’s
Major supermarket Sainsbury’s has announced it will be closing its superstore in York early next year. The store in Foss Bank will shut down in January 2025 due to the lease expiring.
Shoppers will have to head to the Monks Cross branch to do their weekly shop instead.
Marks and Spencer
The high street giant informed staff at the Hexham shop in Northumberland of the closures last week, though an exact date is yet to be announced.
It comes after the retail giant announced plans to close its branches in Sunderland and Aberdeen earlier this year.
Supermarkets that have closed in March
The first few days of the month saw several supermarket branches shut down for good across the country.
Lidl
Fans of the budget brand in Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, bid farewell to their local branch on February 29. The long-standing town centre site had been a pillar of the Pavilion Shopping Centre for more than 10 years.
In another crushing blow to shoppers, Lidl axed another site in Bristol on Friday, March 1. Located on the High Street, Hanham, the branch had served its loyal customers for 26 years.
Iceland
Iceland, which has more than 800 stores across the UK, recently closed one of its locations on Saturday, March 2.
The supermarket in Speke, Liverpool, has now locked its doors for good, leaving customers with no option but to shop at The Food Warehouse for their frozen food needs.
Locals took to Facebook to share their disappointment at the news. One user said: “First Klopp now Iceland, whatever next?” Another said: “So it begins.”
The frozen food supermarket chain also bid farewell to its Portswood branch on the same day. Though the chain did not give a reason for the closure, it noted that its Shirley, Bitterne Village and Winchester Road branches will continue to operate as usual.
