Iconic department store chain confirms shock closure to HUGE city-centre shop in weeks

AN iconic department store chain has confirmed it is shutting a giant city-centre shop in weeks.

Harvey Nichols is pulling down the shutters on its three-floor Beauty Bazaar in Liverpool.

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The shop, inside the Liverpool ONE complex, will close in mid-April, the Liverpool ECHO reports.

A spokesperson for the retailer told the publication: “As we implement our strategy to reposition Harvey Nichols for growth, our emphasis is on full category stores within our estate.

“We have reviewed our store portfolio and mutually agreed with the Landlord of our Beauty Bazaar location in Liverpool to surrender the lease as we focus on investment into full-category stores.

“Unfortunately, this means that our employees in the Liverpool store may be at risk of redundancy.”

The spokesperson added the retailer was doing “everything we can” to support affected staff.

The only beauty concept store out of Harvey Nichols’ seven UK branches, the Liverpool site opened in 2012.

The site, based in Manesty’s Lane, sells a host of branded health and beauty products including Jo Malone, Marc Jacobs Beauty and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna.

It also features a champagne and cocktail bar and personal shopping service.

Shoppers finding out the giant store will close in weeks have been left devastated, including one who said: “Very sad day.”

The ECHO reported staff at the Beauty Bazaar were told about the planned closure on Tuesday (March 11).

DEPARTMENT STORE CLOSURES

The Harvey Nichols closure comes as House of Fraser gears up to shut its Lincoln High Street department store in weeks.

Local news reports suggest House of Fraser remains silent on what will happen to the site in the future.

Meanwhile, one of Britain’s oldest department stores Beales, in Poole, is set to shut in May after more than 140 years.

The giant store has launched a closing down sale with up to 70% off on furniture, fashion, gifts and cosmetics.

Beales chief executive Tony Brown blamed the “devastating impact” of the rise in national insurance contributions and the higher minimum wage for the shop shutting.

When the closure was announced, he said the business had become “unviable” as it prepared to take on further cost increases which were announced in the October Budget.

From April employer national insurance contributions will rise to 15%, while the threshold at which they are paid will fall from £9,100 to £5,000.

Jolly’s, in Bath, shut just weeks ago too, after opening in 1823.

Closing down signs were put up in the windows of the shop, one of Europe’s oldest department stores.

HIGH STREET STRUGGLES

The high street more broadly has struggled in recent years as the trend towards online shopping continues.

The most recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows online retail sales increased from 5% of all retail sales in 2008 to 27% in 2022.

Shoppers have also been feeling the pinch in recent years following high inflation which has dented wallets and purses.

A House of Lords report published last year admitted the dominance of retail on high streets was “something of the past”.

It said there was a greater demand for restaurants and leisure activities, as well as public services, such as health centres and libraries, in town centres.

The Centre for Retail Research’s latest analysis suggests 13,479 stores, the equivalent of 37 each day, shut for good in 2024.

Of those, 11,341 were independent shops while 2,138 were shut by larger retailers.

The centre’s same research predicts more than 17,300 stores will close their doors for good in 2025 too.

It linked the rise to the upcoming hike to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and national minimum wage, which will both come into effect next month.

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