River Island and Primark are among the major retailers that have disclosed plans for store closures in January 2026.
The Centre for Retail Research reported that last year, 54 retailers went bankrupt, leading to the closure of 3,080 stores and impacting 30,153 jobs.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), retail sales volumes dropped by 0.1% in November.
River Island is set to shut down a minimum of 27 stores this month as part of a restructuring effort that initially included the closure of 33 stores. Some of the closed branches from the list released earlier in 2025 include locations in Brighton, Edinburgh Princes Street, Great Yarmouth, and Stockton-on-Tees. The closure dates for the remaining stores, such as Norwich, Norfolk, and Workington, Cumbria, are yet to be confirmed.
Poundland is scheduled to close 12 stores this month following a High Court-approved reorganization plan. The discount retailer had already closed 57 stores by the end of September after being acquired by investment firm Gordon Brothers for £1.
Primark recently closed its Dartford store due to significant building repair needs, marking its first closure in over a decade. Philippa Nibbs, Primark’s director of sales for UK South and South East, explained that the decision was made based on the building’s repair requirements, which made it unfeasible to keep the store open. She mentioned that over half of the affected employees will be relocated to nearby stores, with support provided for those leaving the company.
Lloyds Banking Group, including Lloyds Bank, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland, will close a total of 34 bank branches this month. This comprises 17 Lloyds branches, eight Halifax sites, and nine Bank of Scotland branches, as part of the group’s response to the increasing trend of online banking usage.
The closures are attributed to the growing preference for online banking services, as stated by Lloyds in their previous announcements.