Major UK department store shuts big branch in busy shopping centre

The iconic House of Fraser store located in the bustling Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe, Dartford, Kent, has today closed its doors after a 25-year tenure. The department store's closure marks the end of an era for the retail complex and comes following 25 years of service to the local community.

Next is set to take over the space, moving up from its smaller site within the centre to the two floors previously occupied by House of Fraser. As the high street staple bows out just before Christmas, shoppers were able to take advantage of a closing down sale with discounts of 20% leading up to its last day.

Local concerns have been raised about the impact this will have on the shopping centre. Tudor Price, chief executive of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, voiced alarming projections: "Customers may stop returning once they realise the anchor store is no longer there."

He also emphasised the importance of aesthetics in such retail environments: "It does not look good. And part of shopping in a large centre is that it is a very experiential thing. You want everywhere to look good," as reported by KentOnline.

The retailer, which started as a modest drapery shop in Glasgow back in 1849, was rescued from near-collapse by billionaire Mike Ashley in 2018, but has nevertheless endured some challenging times since then, with merely 14 out of its 58 stores remaining open. This year alone witnessed the closure of its branches in Solihul, Cardiff, High Wycombe, and most recently, the Cabot Circus store in Bristol this summer, reports the Express.

In the midst of a wave of nationwide store closures, as the retail sector continues to grapple with high rents, changing consumer habits and the cost-of-living crisis, Frasers Group CEO Michael Murray has issued a warning that the House of Fraser brand could vanish entirely as part of a major company overhaul. The executive, who assumed his role in May 2022, told the Telegraph that the department store was a "broken business" when it changed ownership six years ago.

"We've completely changed the operating model," he stated. "It was mostly concession the stores were way too big, they were under-invested. Our future vision is that House of Fraser will diminish and Frasers will grow."

He hopes that smaller units will prove to be a more viable economic model, reflecting a trend of decline among former department store behemoths, with Debenhams and John Lewis also shutting large branches as shopping shifts online.