ROLL UP
‘I’m heartbroken’ mourn sausage roll fans as bakery chain with more than 2,000 locations shuts ‘amazing’ branch for good
It follows other closures earlier this year
SAUSAGE roll fans are 'heartbroken' as a bakery chain with more than 2,000 locations shuts a popular branch for good.
Greggs has pulled the shutters down on its branch on Great Portland Street, London for the last time.
1
Greggs has more than 2,000 branches across the UK and has become a high street staple.
The bakery chain was founded more than 80 years ago in Newcastle and gained a loyal fan base.
But some customers have been left devastated following the closure of their favourite branch.
Taking to X formerly Twitter, one fan posted: "Greggs near Broadcasting House has passed away. RIP you will live on forever. Can't believe it. I wanna run to you."
READ MORE STORE CLOSURES
Another added: "This is awful news."
A third said: "Could have broken to it gently."
While another person commented: "I am heartbroken."
The branch has racked up 358 reviews on Google reviews from happy customers with one even labelling the branch as "amazing".
Most read in Money
It has also been praised for its "friendly" customer service and "damn good" breakfast options.
A picture of a closing down sign in the window of Greggs was posted on X that read: "Sorry, we're closing on April 18 - your nearest shop is 101 Tottenham Court Road."
Greggs has confirmed that the lease has ended on the location and that staff have been relocated to other stores nearby.
It comes just weeks after the chain announced it would be closing down one of its branches in Edinburgh this summer.
Inside Greggs' outlet stores where food is 75% cheaper
The bakery, located at 357/359 Leith Walk, is one of the busiest lunch and breakfast spots for people passing by.
While the date of the closure has not been confirmed, a new store is opening up about a mile away in the spring.
Earlier this year the bakery giant also closed its store in London Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, on Saturday, February 24.
It also shut its branch in Whitley Street, Reading, for the last time on Saturday, February 10.
Last August, Greggs revealed it had shut 44 shops in the first half of the year, but had opened 94 branches over the same time frame including three outlet stores.
While the high street has generally struggled since the pandemic with huge numbers of store closures, Greggs has continued to expand rapidly.
Greggs opened several new stores last year including a drive-through and an outlet shop.
Greggs opened a record 186 new stores in 2022 and it now operates at more than 2,300 locations.
New Greggs That Opened In 2023
The new Greggs are:
- Manchester, Mosley Common Road
- Stafford, Queens Shopping Park
- Widnes, Moore Lane South (drive thru)
- Basildon, Miles Gray Road
- Hereford, Holme Lacey Road
- Maidstone, Week Street
- Plaistow, Plaistow Road (outlet shop)
- Poole Hamworthy Trade Centre
- Canary Warf Station, London
What else is happening on the high street?
Since the pandemic, many restaurants and pubs have closed down and others have set about restructuring by closing down less profitable outlets.
One of the most recently affected is pizza giant Papa Johns which currently operates 524 locations in the UK across a mixture of owned stores and franchised outlets.
The popular chain has announced that it will be shutting down 43 stores by next month.
Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny's closing branches.
In January 2023, Byron Burger fell into administration, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs.
Also, Italian dining chain Prezzo revealed plans to shut 46 restaurants back in April due to soaring energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk.
Just this week a restaurant run by the celebrity chef Monica Galetti and her partner David Galetti, announced it would be closing for good.
The last day of service for the restaurant will be April 16.
In January 2024 many restaurants just did not reopen after Christmas.
Marco Pierre White's restaurant Mr White's Steak, Pizza and Gin House, located in London's iconic West End, closed indefinitely.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Meanwhile, Marco Pierre White's Steakhouse Bar & Grill in Cardiff also permanently shut.
Ex-masterchef finalist Tony Rodd was also forced to close his restaurant Copper & Ink earlier this month after he reportedly received a "terrifying" £80,000 energy bill.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year, and more are coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre's director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is "less bad" than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
"The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend," Prof Bamfield said.
"Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult."
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023's biggest failures included Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year, and more are coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre's director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is "less bad" than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
"The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend," Prof Bamfield said.
"Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult."
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023's biggest failures included Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.