A popular high street retailer, Yours Clothing, will soon close its branch at Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre, launching a closing down sale to clear out stock. Yours Clothing, the UK’s leading plus-size fashion retailer with over 100 stores nationwide and an international website, will shut the 14-year-old store this weekend.
This closure adds to the wave of retail shutdowns in 2024, a trend that has continued into 2025. According to the Centre for Retail Research, 8,543 stores closed on the high street in the year leading up to November 2024, following 10,500 closures in 2023. AK Retail, which owns Evans and M&Co, is reportedly behind the closure of the Birmingham store, as reported by the Birmingham Mail.
Saturday, March 15, will be the final trading day for the Yours Clothing location at Bullring. Shoppers loyal to the Birmingham store will now need to travel 13.5 miles to the Merry Hill branch or 7.6 miles to the West Bromwich branch.
The closure is a disappointment for many, including those who have praised the store for its welcoming environment. One customer shared, “I love that there’s a shop for us plus-size girls… lovely layout of the shop; the lady who served me was lovely – overall, a great experience.”
This is yet another setback for Birmingham shoppers, who have witnessed multiple store closures recently. For instance, Monki closed its Birmingham store on March 9, and Waitrose shut a local branch in January, citing that it could not remain commercially viable despite efforts to sustain it.
The high street retail sector continues to struggle, facing challenges from the rise of online shopping, high business rates, and rising inflation, which has impacted consumer spending. The Centre for Retail Research’s latest analysis found that 13,479 stores closed in 2024, averaging 37 closures per day. Among these, 11,341 were independent stores, while large retailers accounted for 2,138 closures. The data also indicated that more than half of the closures in 2024 were linked to insolvency.
The trend is set to persist in 2025, with companies like New Look accelerating their store closure plans ahead of April’s National Insurance increase. The retailer is at risk of losing about a quarter of its 364 stores, potentially affecting 91 locations and a workforce of 8,000 employees. This follows New Look’s efforts to restructure its store portfolio, having reduced its UK store count from around 600 in 2018. Additionally, the retailer has closed all 26 of its outlets in Ireland, ending its 20-year presence in the country, according to The Sun.
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