Major high street fashion chain with 130 UK stores to shut town centre site for good as closing down sale...

A GIANT high street retailer with 130 UK stores is set to shutter another town centre branch permanently.

Shoppers were saddened to hear about the imminent closure set for March 8.

It comes as Ann Summers announced a site in Taunton, Somerset, will be serving their last customers next week.

But, local residents were keen to make the most of the brand's clearance sale.

An Ann Summers spokesperson told the Somerset County Gazette: "As part of the normal course of business, we regularly review the location of our stores, which occasionally results in new site openings, renovations, relocations, and store closures.

“Unfortunately, we will be closing our Taunton store on 8 March, 2025.

“Our customers can continue to shop with us online.”

While Ann Summers does not appear to be one of the retailers badly affected by high street closures, other industry giants are struggling.

New Look bosses made the decision to axe nearly 100 branches as they battle challenges linked to Autumn Budget tax changes.

Approximately a quarter of the retailer's 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire.

This equates to about 91 stores, with a significant impact on New Look's 8,000-strong workforce.

It's understood the latest drive to accelerate closures is driven by the upcoming increase in National Insurance contributions for employers.

The move, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in October, is expected to hit retailers hard - and the British Retail Consortium has predicted these changes will create a £2.3billion bill for the sector.

Meanwhile, the WHSmith brand name looks set to vanish from British high streets after 230 years.

In a fresh update, Boots UK also told The Sun that 253 stores have now shut as part of cost-cutting plans.

And, Homebase launched a big closing down sale as two more stores will shut amid 35 closures this month.