SIXTEEN banks and shops are closing their doors for good next week.
Banks and building societies have been shutting hundreds of branches between them this year as customers head online.
Meanwhile, high street retailers have been hit hard by high inflation and consumers shopping from the comfort of their sofa.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal 345,000 businesses closed in 2022.
A number of locations are set to close as soon as next week too, including New Look and Homebase stores and 12 bank branches.
Here is the full list:
New Look
Major fashion retailer New Look is shutting its store in Shirley, Southampton, on December 3, after a string of closures.
Shoppers will find the next nearest branch in the Westquay Shopping Centre in the city centre.
Local residents shared their devastation at the closure, with one saying it marks the “death of the high street”.
But it’s not all bad news. New Look has opened stores in Grimsby and Leicester in recent months.
It said it has plans to open more stores in 2023 too, though did not confirm how many and where in the UK they will be.
Homebase
Homebase is closing one of its stores in Banbury, Oxford on December 3.
The site in Southam Road is one of 93 which have shut since the retailer was taken over by Hilco Capital in 2018.
Homebase still runs over 150 shops across the country.
Lacoste
Lacoste is pulling down the shutters on its branch in the Highcross Shopping Centre in Leicester next week.
The site will say its final goodbye to customers on December 3.
Staff put up a notice in the shop window telling customers about the closure and thanking them for their loyalty.
Co-op
Co-op’s College Green store in Bristol will be closing its doors for the final time next week.
The supermarket’s final day of trading will be December 9 before the shutters come down for good.
Shoppers on social media were quick to share their dismay at the closure, with one saying: “This country is closing down.”
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Banking Group, which runs Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland branches, is closing five sites next week.
One Halifax branch in Denbigh, Wales, is pulling down its shutters on December 4 while a Lloyds branch in St Neots is closing two days later.
Three Bank of Scotland branches are closing next week too.
Scottish sites in Dunkeld, Falkland and Dunoon will all pull down their shutters for good on December 5.
NatWest
NatWest is closing its branch in Henrietta Street, London, on December 5.
It comes after it shut a site in Stratford on November 30.
Virgin Money
Two Virgin Money banks are shutting for the final time within days.
A branch in Liverpool will close on December 5 while another in Kendal is shutting the following day.
Barclays
Barclays is shutting four branches across England next week.
Its sites in Durham, Hove and Whitby will pull down their shutters for the final time on December 8.
Meanwhile, its branch in Edmonton Green is shutting on December 7.
What to do if your local bank branch closes
There’s not much you can do if a retailer closes your favourite local shop.
But there are options if a bank closure has left you without a branch for miles around.
You can carry out most basic banking tasks at your nearest Post Office.
You won’t be able to apply for a loan or open a new bank account at one though.
You can find your nearest Post Office branch by using the locator tool on its website.
Meanwhile, many banks offer a mobile banking service – where they bring a bus to your area offering services you can usually get at a physical branch.
Other banks use buildings such as village halls or libraries to offer mobile banking services.
It’s worth contacting your bank to see what services they have available, and when they might next be in your area.
You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.
