B&M, Iceland, Lidl and New Look stores close across Britain by end of month

These are the B&M, Iceland, Lidl and New Look stores that will be closed across the country by the end of the month.

As energy bills rise and high streets grapple with construction conditions, half a dozen locations will close their doors for good within weeks.

While some will be replaced by other stores, others will leave a gap for local shoppers.

B&M will lose two stores this month, Iceland and New Look will close one and Lidl two.

It comes after a string of closures across the industry — with nearly 50 closing their doors for good every day last year, according to the Center for Retail Research.

That was almost half more than the year before.

B&M is closing one store at Bolton’s Burnden Retail Park this month.

Its doors will close for good on May 24, with the store diverting punters to another outlet, complete with a garden center less than a mile away.

They are also closing another shop in Widnes, Cheshire – although it will be replaced by a ‘bigger and better house’ less than a mile away.

The current store closes on Wednesday 17 May and the opening of the new outlet on Saturday 20 May.

The company said: “We apologize for the inconvenience as we provide you with a bigger and better B&M store.”

But there’s good news for customers as B&M announces a number of openings in the coming months.

After a few also opened last year, the number of B&M stores in the UK now stands at over 700.

Frozen food giant Iceland will also close a branch in Flint, Wales – with another in Beccles, Suffolk next month.

The supermarket chain – which has more than 1,000 stores in addition to The Food Warehouse – says this is part of an ongoing review of the stores it owns.

Iceland has expanded by nearly 200 stores over the past decade, but posted an operating loss of £4 million for the six months to September.

That month, boss Richard Walker warned it was forced to suspend new store openings as it faced a £20m increase in energy bills.

Mr Walker, who took over from his father, Malcolm, in 2018, said rising energy prices, wage inflation and labor shortages have left Iceland facing its worst crisis in more than half a century.

The Flintshire outlet will close on May 27, while shoppers in Suffolk will lose their outlet on June 17.

Lidl will also close two stores this month.

Both – at Sturry Road, Canterbury and Forton Road, Gosport, in Hampshire – go on Sunday 28 May.

The poor condition of the Canterbury building has rendered it unfit for purpose.

And they’re leaving the Hampshire location – which has been around for 25 years – as they focus on newer locations.

The staff will get new jobs in other Lidl stores.

New Look, a clothing retailer with reduced prices, will also close its shop at Newlands Shopping Centre, Witham on May 18.

The town of Essex is added to the design of seven stores that have already closed this year.

These include shops in Bimingham, Trowbridge and Coventry.

“We support colleagues and we try to accommodate the team in local stores where possible,” a New Look spokesperson said The sun.

“We have enjoyed being part of the local community and would like to thank all of our customers for shopping with us.”