A major fashion retailer is closing a store in a major blow to the UK high street. River Island is shutting its branch at the Old Market Shopping Centre in Hereford on January 31.

This comes as River Island moves ahead with plans to close 33 stores as part of a restructuring bid following heavy losses. The clothing retailer’s restructuring plan was approved by the High Court in August. Besides the closures, rent reductions and debt will be written off for 71 stores. River Island currently has over 200 shops nationwide, with 122 of these remaining unaffected, and employs around 5,500 staff. Ben Lewis, CEO of River Island, said: “We have a clear transformation strategy to ensure the long-term viability of the business, and this decision gives us a strong platform to deliver this.” 

He added: “Recent improvements in our fashion offer and shopping experience are starting to show results, and the restructuring plan will enable us to align our store estate to our customers’ needs. 

“We are grateful to our suppliers, landlords and other stakeholders for their constructive engagement and shared confidence in River Island’s future.”

In June, Mr Lewis said that although River Island is “a much-loved” British retailer, a rise in online shopping had left the business with “a large portfolio of stores that is no longer aligned to our customers’ needs”. 

He added that a “sharp rise in the cost of doing business over the last few years has only added to the financial burden”. 

The business reported a £33.2m pre-tax loss in 2023, following a 19% decline in sales, with losses nearly doubling to £64m in 2024, according to its accounts.

It has requested landlords to cut its rent for three years and potentially stop payments on some units to try and curb its losses. The plan was approved by a High Court judge in August of last year.

It’s expected to be another tough year for the UK high street, with a number of big-name brands set to close shops. It comes as a result of increasing business costs and a shift in shopping habits.

According to the Centre for Retail Research, 54 retailers collapsed in 2025, resulting in the loss of 3,080 stores and 30,153 employees. Meanwhile, over 500 bank branches closed for good due to an ongoing shift of customer behaviour, with an increasing number of people choosing to bank online or use mobile app services.

As reported by Time Out, a number of high street closures are already confirmed in 2026. These include retailers such as River Island and banks like Lloyds.

Here is the list of announced closures for 2026 so far.

The following Cancer Research UK stores will close this year. However, no specific closing dates have been provided yet.

Claire’s Accesories plunged into administration at the end of last year and stores remain under threat of closure in 2026.

Despite being acquired by investment firm Modella Capital, the chain could not make a successful comeback and is now on the look out for a buyer.

However, if a buyer isn’t found then all 150 stores across the UK could shut.

Like Claire’s, The Original Factory Shop fell into administration in 2025 and was acquired by Modella Capital.

However, it is yet to find a buyer with all 140 UK branches facing closure.

Fashion giant River Island has confirmed the dates it will permanently close 27 of its stores this month. The high street favourite had previously announced that it would close 33 stores across the UK after its plans for a major restructure were approved by the High Court.

The company has already closed stores in Brighton, Edinburgh Princes Street, Great Yarmouth, and Stockton-on-Tees in the lead up to Christmas. Throughout the next month, 27 stores will close in Scotland, Wales and England as it attempts to navigate heavy pre-tax losses. Ben Lewis, chief executive of River Island, said in a statement earlier this year: “River Island is a much-loved retailer, with a decades-long history on the British high street.

“However, the well-documented migration of shoppers from the high street to online has left the business with a large portfolio of stores that is no longer aligned to our customers’ needs.

“The sharp rise in the cost of doing business over the last few years has only added to the financial burden. We have a clear strategy to transform the business to ensure its long-term viability.

“Recent improvements in our fashion offer and in-store shopping experience are already showing very positive results, but it is only with a restructuring plan that we will be able to see this strategy through and secure River Island’s future as a profitable retail business.

“We regret any job losses as a result of store closures, and we will try to keep these to a minimum.”

River Island is also reducing rents at an additional 71 shops as part of its restructuring. The clothing chain had 223 stores across the UK and Ireland at the time of its rescue plan being heard in court in August this year.

The business posted a £32.3million pre-tax loss last year and revealed turnover had slumped 15% to £578.1million. Matthew Weaver KC, for River Island, told the court hearing that the company “simply has not been able to reverse” a trend of financial difficulty.

He cited a decline in footfall and sales due to “the pressures of a highly competitive and changing retail environment as well as the prevailing trend away from high street retail stores to online shopping”.

Bangor Bloomfield – January 24, 2026

Barnstaple – January 31, 2026

Beckton – January 31, 2026

Burton upon Trent – January 18, 2026

Cumbernauld – January 24, 2026

Didcot – January 31, 2026

Falkirk – January 31, 2026

Gloucester – January 31, 2026

Grimsby – January 31, 2026

Hanley – January 24, 2026

Hartlepool – January 24, 2026

Hereford – January 31, 2026

Kilmarnock – January 24, 2026

Kirkcaldy – January 31, 2026

Leeds Birstall Park – January 18, 2026

Lisburn – January 18, 2026

Northwich – January 24, 2026

Oxford – January 31, 2026

Perth – January 18, 2026

Poole – January 31, 2026

Rochdale – January 31, 2026

St Helens – January 24, 2026

Surrey Quays – January 18, 2026

Sutton Coldfield – January 18, 2026

Taunton – January 18, 2026

Wrexham – January 18, 2026

High Street fashion chain River Island is set to shut 32 shops nationwide next month – and the closure dates of 15 have now been released. The struggling retailer has announced reduced rent payments on 71 outlets as part of a rescue plan designed to stave off administration.

The major shake-up will result in 32 of its more than 200 branches closing during the opening month of next year, whilst 71 locations will benefit from rent cuts and a considerable portion of debt will be eliminated. Nevertheless, River Island customers will retain access to 122 outlets, which will be unaffected by the overhaul.

The company has asked landlords to lower rent for a three-year period and potentially halt payments on certain properties in a bid to reduce losses. A High Court Judge gave the green light to the proposal in August this year.

Speaking earlier this year, River Island chief executive Ben Lewis commented: “We have a clear transformation strategy to ensure the long-term viability of the business, and this decision gives us a strong platform to deliver this.”

He added: “Recent improvements in our fashion offer and shopping experience are starting to show results, and the restructuring plan will enable us to align our store estate to our customers’ needs. We are grateful to our suppliers, landlords and other stakeholders for their constructive engagement and shared confidence in River Island’s future.”

Matthew Weaver KC, speaking on behalf of River Island, informed the hearing that the company “simply has not been able to reverse” its financial woes. In his written statements, he attributed the drop in footfall and sales to “the pressures of a highly competitive and changing retail environment as well as the prevailing trend away from high street retail stores to online shopping”.

He added: “A number of geopolitical events have also resulted in continuing supply chain disruption which, together with energy, labour and other price increases, has resulted in a cost base that’s too high and unsustainable at its current level.”

River Island, which boasts 223 outlets across the UK and Ireland, will not be closing any of its Irish branches, confirmed Mr Weaver. The firm, which employs approximately 5,500 staff, was established in 1948 under the Lewis and Chelsea Girl brand before undergoing a rebrand in the 1980s.

Some of the stores are anticipated to hold a clearance sale before they put up the shutters. However, no exact date for the beginning of sales has been confirmed yet.

High street fashion giant River Island is teetering on the edge of collapse and could run out of cash within weeks unless landlords and creditors back a drastic rescue deal in court.

The embattled retailer has warned it faces insolvency unless creditors approve a sweeping restructuring plan, which includes shutting 33 stores, slashing rent at 71 more, and writing off significant debts. The proposal, designed to avert a worsening liquidity crisis, is set to be heard at the High Court next week reports The Telegraph.

If three quarters of creditors vote in favour, an emergency cash injection from River Island’s billionaire owners, the Lewis family, will be triggered. This would allow the business to keep trading and cover its bills. But if the deal is rejected, River Island has admitted it will effectively run out of money by the end of August and be unable to meet its obligations.

The company has warned it would be forced into administration or other insolvency measures if the rescue effort fails. The stark revelations are laid out in a detailed 800-page restructuring blueprint drawn up by advisers at PwC.

It discloses that the retailer is facing a £10 million shortfall by early September, which could rise to £50 million before year-end. River Island employs more than 6,000 people, with 5,300 staff working in its shops and 950 based at its West London headquarters.

The company has blamed spiralling operating costs and a shift in shopping habits for its financial woes, admitting its once-vast store portfolio “is no longer aligned to our customers’ needs”.

PwC now faces the task of persuading 75 percent of creditors to approve the proposals. However, sources claim resistance remains strong among some landlords.

“This is family-run, they’ve just overstretched, and it’s unfair that the landlords will struggle because they haven’t maintained their relevance,” said one landlord whose sites were not impacted.

“We get cast as the big bad landlords creaming off imaginary super-profits, when the reality is very far from that. Nobody wants retailers to be forced into administration, but equally landlords don’t want to have retailers on a two-year lease at no rent that might fail anyway.”

The plan includes writing off tens of millions of pounds in unpaid rents and asking landlords of 24 stores to accept no rental income at all for the next three years. Other stores face rent reductions of between 25 and 75 percent.

Major landlords such as British Land, the Crown Estate, and Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group are among those affected, though all declined to comment.

Local councils will also feel the impact, with River Island intending to walk away from outstanding business rates. The cuts coincide with the start of the business rates year in April.

In a bid to cut costs further, the chain is also planning to return over 30 company cars leased through a vehicle scheme, with the debts on those vehicles to be written off completely.

A River Island spokesman said: “River Island circulated its proposals for a restructuring plan to creditors on June 20. In combination with the company’s ongoing Transformation Strategy, the plan is a proactive measure to place the company on a firm footing.

“We have been having positive conversations with key stakeholders and are confident that we will achieve approval of the plan in the next few weeks.”