High street shoe shop chain with more than 380 stores to close branches

The shoe shop chain has been a go-to for Britons since 1980 and remains a firm staple on high streets across the UK.

But the popular retailer is expected to close some of its branches this year as part of plans to overhaul its estate portfolio.

It follows the loss of 63 branches in the year to October 1, 2022, though there has been some regeneration of the well-known brand.

In the same period, it opened 13 new sites and converted 11 branches into new formats.

While some sites will be relocated and others replaced with brand-new Shoezonen shops, at least three have been earmarked for closure this year.

This year Shoezone has already closed its branch on Watford High Street, in Hertfordshire.

The branch was reportedly in the process of closing down for several months, from June 2023, though didn’t vacate its position between Greggs and Pret a Manger until this January.

Shoezone is yet to shut or relocate the following branches, though exact dates are yet to be confirmed:

Newton Abbot
Hinckley, Leicester
Cromer, Norfolk
Ipswich (relocation)
Weymouth (relocation)

According to the retailer, its store closures and openings are part of a bigger plan to move to “big box and hybrid” format stores.

These will replace the high street shopfronts that are typically smaller to slot into once-busy town centres.

Shoezone claimed that these stores will offer more stock and a greater range of styles for customers.

Last year saw major changes to the brand’s store portfolio, having welcomed eight new stores in November alone. These appeared in Maidstone and Bristol and were joined by newly-refitted stores in South Shields, Gravesend and Colchester.

It came at the expense of other stores which closed in: