Major Retailer Closing Its Store In A UK Shopping Centre As More People Shop Online, Other Branches Also Closing

The UK's retail landscape faces another blow as a well-known fashion brand closes its doors at a popular shopping centre. This closure signals ongoing challenges for brick-and-mortar stores, leaving shoppers and industry watchers wondering what's next for the high street.

A well-known clothing shop, Tessuti, has recently closed its doors at Sheffield's Meadowhall Shopping Centre. Yorkshire Live previously reported on Tessuti's plans, and now the Meadowhall spot has officially made closure announcements.

Tessuti's Sheffield Exit

The retailer currently offers substantial discounts, with savings reaching up to 70 percent, as it prepares for its final closure. Regular visitors to the Sheffield shopping destination likely noticed the 'closing down' notices at Tessuti. Google marked the Meadowhall location as 'permanently closed.'

Throughout 2023, Tessuti operated approximately 30 stores across the UK. Eleven of those are now set to close, encompassing locations in Ipswich, Warrington, Bury, Stockport, Bolton, Blackburn, Speke, Bradford, Stoke-on-Trent, Tamworth, and Birmingham.

At the same time, menswear retailer Scotts, which runs over ten shops across the UK, also shuttered its Newcastle and Stoke-on-Trent branches during the summer. According to Drapers Online, these two menswear clothing brands were among the fourteen businesses Frasers Group obtained from JD in December 2022.

Frasers Group Strategy: Consolidating Brands

The acquisition also involved Base Childrenswear, Choice, Clothingsites, Cricket, Giulio, Kids Cavern, Missy Empire, Nicholas Deakins, Pretty Green, Watch Shop, and Topgrade Sportswear, which includes Get the Label.

Drapers reported in May 2023 that Base Childrenswear, Choice, and Giulio were slated for closure and would be rebranded under Frasers' Flannels banner. This raises the question: What factors are driving these prominent brands, including Tessuti, to cease operations?

Sheffield Tessuti: What's Behind The Closure?

As noted in The Guardian, the shutdown of Tessuti's Sheffield location appears to stem from a larger reorganisation impacting UK retail. This reorganisation is driven by changing customer habits, company buyouts, and the ongoing transformation of traditional shopping areas.

As the Lancashire Telegraph reports, these shutdowns align with Frasers Group's plan to streamline its retail presence and prioritise brands like Flannels. For example, the previous Tessuti space in Bradford's Broadway shopping centre has been transformed into a Flannels store.

Although precise reasons for the Sheffield store's closing are scarce, the overall trend points to Frasers Group's effort to refine its brand offerings and adjust to the evolving retail scene. The surge in online sales, growing business expenses, and changing customer tastes have collectively posed difficulties for physical stores.

Sheffield's retail scene has felt these shifts strongly. The city has seen a noticeable drop in its high street activity, with many shops closing and a move toward online shopping. This change mirrors broader national trends as established department stores and fashion brands reassess their physical locations to keep pace with the changing market.

Meadowhall's Retail Refresh

Meanwhile, Prezzybox has transformed into Menkind within Meadowhall, now showcasing various gift options. This fresh store represents an expansion of Menkind's original presence in Meadowhall's Oasis area.

Adding to the evolving retail landscape at Meadowhall, JD has also revealed plans to open a significantly larger store next year. This new location will triple the size of their current space, establishing it as JD's largest in Yorkshire and second biggest in the UK, covering an impressive 29,825 square feet.

This upcoming store will allow shoppers from Sheffield and surrounding areas to explore an expanded selection of international sports brands and contemporary athleisure styles featuring names like Nike, Adidas, and The North Face.

'It's brilliant to announce that JD is opening one of their biggest stores in the country here at Meadowhall,' Darren Pearce, centre director at Meadowhall, said. 'We know how popular the brand has been with shoppers over the years, so we have no doubt the new state-of-the-art store will be a hit with visitors.'

'Meadowhall is a destination for shoppers across the UK, and we're constantly looking for ways to improve the experience of our visitors – the exciting large-scale openings we've announced recently, including Sephora, allow us to do just that,' the top executive added.