
Budget retail chain to shut NINE stores this month as it launches string of closing down sales – is one going near you?
Read more to find out if you live near one of the stores
RISKY BUSINESS Budget retail chain to shut NINE stores this month as it launches string of closing down sales – is one going near you?
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A BELOVED retail chain is shutting a whopping nine locations in a wave of closing down sales this month - and you could be living right next to one.
The popular budget store has hundreds of sites across the UK - but news of the closures has sent shoppers flocking to the shutting branches for one last bargain.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
2
A beloved UK retail chain is shutting nine locations and launching massive sales
Credit: Getty
The Original Factory Shop has slashed the prices on everything, from clothing to gardening tools to toys.
Clothing rails have been slapped with signs offering discounts as the major retailer kicks off closing down sales.
If you're after summer steals, the closing stores are bursting with bargains – from pretty dresses to handy garden gadgets.
It comes as part of a major restructuring carried out by new owner Modella Capital with a number of loss making stores having to close as result.
Over June nine of these stores will close, including sites in Dorest and Durham.
Another site in Middlewich is also set to close however a date is yet to be confirmed.
You can see the full list of store closures in June here:
Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire - June 26
- June 26 Perth - June 28
- June 28 Chester Le Street, County Durham - June 28
- June 28 Arbroath, Angus - June 28
- June 28 Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire - June 28
- June 28 Pershore, Worcestershire - June 28
- June 28 Normanton, West Yorkshire - June 28
- June 28 Peterhead, Aberdeenshire - June 28
- June 28 Shaftesbury, Dorset - June 28
The following stores will close later on:
Staveley, Cumbria - July 12
- July 12 Middlewich - TBC
- TBC Heswall - TBC
Beloved high street chain with 24 Irish locations confirms Dublin city centre store closing down in 10 days in huge blow
And these stores are also up for sale:
Nairn
Market Drayton
Troon
Blairgowrie
Castle Douglas
Private equity firm Modella bought The Original Factory Shop back in February.
It has since launched a huge restructuring effort to renegotiate rents at 88 TOFS stores.
Modella is known for picking up struggling retailers.
The firm recently acquired flailing Hobbycraft, and WHSmith's high street shops.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025."
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
It is set to rebrand all WHSmith high street stores to TGJones, and has brought in advisers to look at potential options for Hobbycraft.
At the end of April, Modella drew up plans to initiate a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) for TOFS.
Companies often use CVAs to prevent insolvency, which could otherwise result in store closures or the collapse of the entire business.
They allow firms to explore different strategies such as negotiating reduced rent rates with landlords.
TOFS previously told The Press and Journal that a "number of loss-making stores will have to close" as part of the restructuring.
The Sun reached out to The Original Factory Shop for comment.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Major café chain with 473 locations in UK to shut busy branch just 3 years after it reopened with staff ‘left in tears'
Shoppers have been left stunned as the chain announced the shock closure HAS BEAN Major café chain with 473 locations in UK to shut busy branch just 3 years after it reopened with staff 'left in tears' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAJOR café chain with 473 locations in the UK is due to shut a popular branch with staff 'left in tears'. Pret A Manger has announced its closing the store, just three years after it re-opened. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The closure of the branch has seen staff 'left in tears' Credit: Getty - Contributor The Gallowtree Gate branch in Leicester City Centre, initially closed in 2020 due to "the effects of the pandemic". However, it made a shock return following an announcement two years later. It re-opened on July 25, 2022 at the same location. But rumours started swirling earlier this week that the popular chain was to shut for good once again. A source told Leicestershire Live that staff were told on Thursday and that there were "lots of tears". A spokesperson for Pret A Manger confirmed that they will be leaving Leister for a second time. They did not give a specific date for the closure but it is expected to be some time in July. They said: "It has been a pleasure serving our customers at Pret's Gallowtree Gate shop in Leicester. "Closing a shop is never a decision we take lightly, and our priority now is supporting our team members." Shoppers were recently stunned when another Pret A Manager branch suddenly closed with no warning in April. The store in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, caught loyal customers by surprise and had been a well-loved part of the outlet centre for years. Another chain, Starbucks, which has over 1,000 UK venues also abruptly pulled the plug on one of its stores in Oxford last month. Pret opened its first shop in London in 1986 and the chain employs 12,500 staff in more than 700 locations across 21 countries. The Sun reported previously reported that Pret's owner, Luxembourg-based Jab Holding, was planning a stock market flotation and could consider selling a stake in the business first. JAB, which also owns Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Keurig Dr Pepper, has ambitions in the insurance and asset management industry and wants to reduce its reliance on the consumer sector. The chain came under fire from customers in April following sweeping changes to its Club Pret subscription. Once offering five free barista-made drinks a day for £30 a month, members now only receive 50 per cent off five drinks a day instead.


Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Shoppers rush to nab outdoor pool for just £45 in Lidl – it's big enough for the whole family but you need to be quick
The bargain won't be around forever so act fast DIVE IN Shoppers rush to nab outdoor pool for just £45 in Lidl – it's big enough for the whole family but you need to be quick Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IT'S weekends like this that many of us would kill for our own swimming pool. And this weekend you could be in luck as shoppers are nabbing exactly that for under £50 at Lidl. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 A mum has revealed how she picked up a pool for less than £50 Credit: Facebook 2 She shared a snap of her receipt revealing how she got the discount Credit: Facebook Taking to the Facebook group Extreme Couponing & Bargains UK, one mum shared her hot weather find. She revealed that she had picked up the Crivit Frame Pool from the German supermarket on special offer down from £69.99. Explaining how she got more money off, she wrote: 'Absolute bargain considering the best way 10ft pool is currently on offer for £100 online 'Was uploaded yesterday save £15 on the 10ft frame pool using the Lidl plus app, I managed to get an extra £5 off today so got it for £45, comes with a pump absolute bargain!' Fellow bargain-hunters were quick to gush over her find, with many agreeing it was an excellent find. Commenting on the post, one wrote: 'I've had one for last few summers and one of the best items I've ever bought for my kids.' 'I've had that pool it's ace,' added another, while a third wrote, 'It's such a bargain. I managed to get one today.' However, it seems that not everyone was full of praise with some group members describing the 10ft pool as 'small.' But the mum was quick to clap-back at her haters. She wrote: 'It's a 10ft pool for all those saying it's small 😅 it took around 3hrs just under to fill up (depends on your hose pressure I guess) I bought a cover on Amazon for a 10ft pool and fits perfectly, you can also check stock in shops on the Lidl website.' Five Lidl rosés you need this summer, according to a wine expert - a £6.99 buy is as light & crispy as £22 Whispering Angel It is important to remember to always shop around when buying something like this as you might find a cheaper alternative. Websites like Trolley and Price Spy let you compare thousands of products across different retailers to find the best price. Price Spy even lets you see how much an item has cost over time, so you can see if the current price is a good deal. A quick scan on the Google Shopping/Product tab will also bring up how much retailers are selling a certain item for.


Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Exact date 6.7million households on Universal Credit to get inflation-busting payment boost
HELPING HAND Exact date 6.7million households on Universal Credit to get inflation-busting payment boost Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MILLIONS of households on Universal Credit will receive a bumper pay rise within months. Almost seven million households claiming the benefit will see their standard allowance rise by more than inflation from April 2026. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The standard allowance is the basic payment for households on Universal Credit Credit: Alamy This change will become law, pending Parliamentary approval of the DWP's Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, which was introduced earlier this week. This means 6.7 million households could receive around £750 more per year in cash by 2030. The standard allowance is the basic payment for households on Universal Credit. Currently, single people under 25 receive £316.98 a month and couples under 25 get £497.55 a month. Meanwhile, single people over 25 get £400.14 a month and couples aged 25 or older receive £628.10 a month. Normally, benefit payments go up each spring to help people keep pace with the rising cost of living, like food, fuel, and household bills. These increases typically match the consumer price index of inflation from the previous September. But, the government has claimed that the four-year benefit freeze from 2015 to 2019 has caused millions of payments to fall behind rising inflation. As a result, from April 2026, the government wants to hike the standard allowance by more than inflation over the next four years. This means that by 2030, the amount a claimant receives will be almost 5% higher than if it had only risen to match inflation. Rachel Reeves delivers the Spring Budget in full The increases will be worked out by adding the inflation rate from the previous September, plus an extra fixed boost. These extra percentages will be set at: 2.3% for 2026-27 3.1% for 2027-28 4.0% for 2028-29 4.8% for 2029-30 The government wants to help more people return to work and rely less on incapacity benefits, which face huge cuts. To save £5billion a year by 2030, it plans to make PIP assessments stricter and freeze the extra health payments in Universal Credit for those unable to work. The government believes that raising the standard allowance for everyone while reducing the health top-up will make returning to work more financially worthwhile and possible. What is the Universal Credit standard allowance? UNIVERSAL Credit is a welfare scheme which was designed to combine several of the old "legacy benefits The standard allowance is the basic monthly payment provided to individuals or families who qualify. The amount you receive depends on your age and whether you're single or in a couple: Single, under 25: £316.98 Single, 25 or over: £400.14 Couple, both under 25: £497.55 Couple, one or both 25 or over: £628.09 You may also be eligible for additional amounts if you have children, have a disability or health condition, or need help with housing costs. Meanwhile, around 400,000 households receiving income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) are being urged to make the move to Universal Credit. The government is progressing with its plans to transfer all legacy benefit claimants onto Universal Credit, through a process referred to as "managed migration." The managed migration process officially began back in July 2022 after a successful pilot in July 2019. Since then, households receiving one of five legacy benefits, have been receiving postal notifications outlining the steps required to transition to Universal Credit. Upon receiving a migration letter, claimants are given up to three months to make the switch. Failure to act within this timeframe could result in the loss of existing benefits. The latest data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) shows that 381,440 individuals lost their benefits after failing to act within this time frame. Initially, the government planned to transfer all ESA claimants to Universal Credit by the end of 2028. However, this deadline was brought forward to March 2026. How can I get help claiming Universal Credit? As well as benefit calculators, anyone moving from ESA to Universal Credit can find help in a number of ways. You can visit your local Jobcentre by searching at There's also a free service called Help to Claim from Citizen's Advice: England: 0800 144 8 444 Scotland: 0800 023 2581 Wales: 08000 241 220 You can also get help online from advisers at