Retail Stores Closing September 2025: Full List & Reasons

If you’ve walked down a high street lately, you’ve probably noticed the boards going up. September 2025 is shaping up to be the month that concentrates the UK’s retail crisis into a single, memorable flashpoint.

From household names like M&S and Poundland to fashion chains such as River Island and Quiz, the list of stores that will shut their doors this month runs long — and the forces behind it aren’t letting up. Here’s what’s closing, why, and what it means for shoppers, workers, and the future of the high street.

Stores to close in 2026 (London Stock Exchange listed): Over 2,000 ·
Projected total shop closures in 2025: Up to 17,000 ·
River Island stores closing (UK & Ireland): 27 ·
M&S job losses from latest closures: 468 (14 stores) ·
Claire’s standalone stores closed UK-wide: All

Six numbers, one pattern: the high street is shedding more than just underperforming locations. The table below collates the confirmed counts behind the September 2025 cull.

What Stores Are Not Going To Make It To 2026?

The answer is more than a handful. Several brands have already confirmed that 2025 will be their last full year on the high street — and the list extends well beyond struggling convenience stores.

Confirmed closures for 2026

• River Island has announced 27 store closures across the UK and Ireland, with several locations already shut as part of a restructuring plan (RSVP Live).
• JD Sports confirmed 24 closures via a company statement (Irish Mirror (Irish news outlet)).
• M&S plans to shut up to 14 more stores, putting 468 jobs at risk (Express (UK daily newspaper)).
• Claire’s has closed all its standalone UK stores (Time Out UK).

The implication: the 2026 pipeline is already filling up, and for workers in these chains, the window to retrain or relocate is shrinking fast.

High street brands at risk

Beyond confirmed closures, analysts point to several brands under serious pressure. Co-op lost £206 m in revenue from a cyber attack, compounding store-level losses (YouTube retail analysis). Superdrug closed 37 stores over two years. And Boots, under a multi‑year rationalisation programme, has shut roughly 300 stores in 2025 (YouTube retail analysis).

What this means: even brands not yet named in closure lists may be next if cost pressures and footfall trends continue.

Which Retail Stores Are Closing In September 2025?

September itself is a concentrated month. The following tables and lists capture the confirmed closures with exact dates where available.

M&S, Poundland, and River Island September closures

• M&S Dudley Street store, Wolverhampton: closed 27 September 2025 (Time Out UK)
• Bodycare: all stores closed by 27 September 2025; specific closures include: Lakeside (Essex) already shut, Crayford (20 Sept), King’s Lynn (22 Sept), Stafford (28 Sept), Chichester and Maidenhead in September (Time Out UK)
• Poundland: multiple locations closing in September 2025 (Metro (UK daily newspaper))
• River Island: stores closing throughout September; full list of 27 (UK & Ireland) published by RSVP Live (RSVP Live)

The pattern: nearly every day in September has at least one notable closure, turning the month into a running tally of retail exits.

Full list of UK high street closures confirmed for September

Time Out UK (lifestyle & culture guide) aggregated the most comprehensive list, which includes:

• Bodycare (all stores)
• Quiz (23 shops)
• M&S (14 stores, with Wolverhampton among the September sites)
• Poundland (locations across England and Scotland)
• River Island (27 stores)
• JD Sports (24 stores, though some closures may stretch into Q4)

The trade-off: the closures improve efficiency for the parent companies but strip local high streets of anchors that once drew foot traffic for surrounding small businesses.

The convergence of these closures in September makes it a critical inflection point for retail employment and local economies.

Why Are So Many Shops Shutting Down In 2025?

Behind the headlines lies a familiar set of pressures, but three in particular are accelerating the timeline.

Retail apocalypse: causes and trends

• Inflation and rising interest rates have squeezed consumer spending. More than half of Americans reported “fair” or “poor” financial shape in 2025, a pattern that mirrors UK consumer sentiment (Bitly Blog (business analytics resource)).
• Grocery prices jumped 23% since 2021, forcing households to cut discretionary retail spending (Bitly Blog).
• The Wikipedia (encyclopaedic reference) entry on the “retail apocalypse” notes the long‑term shift to e‑commerce as the primary structural driver.

The catch: even retailers that have invested heavily online still can’t offset the fixed costs of physical stores when footfall drops below break‑even levels.

Impact of online shopping and business rates

Business rates (property taxes on commercial premises) have risen faster than rents in many areas, making it cheaper to close than to stay open. Combined with the permanent increase in online shopping habits since the pandemic, physical stores that served as convenience hubs are now surplus (Bitly Blog).

What this means: the September 2025 spike is not a one‑off — it’s a structural correction that will continue through 2026.

These structural pressures show no signs of reversing, suggesting that the acceleration of closures will persist.

Is River Island Closing Down In Ireland?

Yes — and the details matter for the 600+ employees affected and the Irish towns losing a fashion anchor.

List of 27 River Island stores closing across Ireland and UK

RSVP Live (Irish entertainment & news) published the full list of 27 stores closing, including locations in Dublin (Jervis Street, Liffey Valley), Cork (Mahon Point), Limerick (Crescent), Galway, and Belfast. Several stores had already closed by early September 2025.

The pattern: River Island’s Irish presence will shrink from 14 stores to an uncertain handful, with only flagship locations possibly retained.

What options for River Island employees?

Retail staff in Ireland have limited re‑employment options given the concurrent closures at JD Sports, M&S, and Claire’s. The FSAI (Ireland’s food safety regulator) is also adding restaurant and takeaway closures weekly, further narrowing opportunities for displaced retail workers in Ireland.

The implication: for part‑time and younger workers, the Irish high street offers fewer entry‑level jobs than at any point in the last decade.

For River Island employees, the job market in Ireland is shrinking, making transition difficult.

Timeline: Retail closures 2023–2030

The pace of closures has accelerated. This timeline places September 2025 in a longer trend.

The pattern: each year from 2023 to 2026 shows a steeper drop, suggesting that 2025–2026 will be the worst two‑year period for UK retail since the 2008 recession.

Confirmed vs. Unclear: What We Know and What We Don’t

Confirmed facts

• M&S closing 14 stores with 468 job losses (Express (UK daily newspaper))
• River Island closing 27 stores UK & Ireland (RSVP Live)
• JD Sports confirming 24 closures (Irish Mirror)
• Claire’s closed all standalone UK stores (Time Out UK)
• FSAI serves closure orders weekly (FSAI (Ireland’s food safety regulator))

What’s unclear

• Exact total of FSAI orders for 2025 (list updated continuously)
• Whether River Island closures extend further after 2026
• If Rackhams return will be permanent or pop‑up
• Total job losses across all closures (aggregate not published by one source)
• Whether the forecast of over 2,000 store closures in 2026 will materialise (Business Insider (business & financial news))
• Whether M&S will proceed with its announced 110 additional closures in 2026 (YouTube retail analysis (industry observer))

The uncertainty around these points highlights the difficulty of predicting the full extent of the retail crisis.

Voices from the crisis

“The September 2025 closures are not just a seasonal blip — they’re the result of years of deferred structural change. Retailers that haven’t adapted to the online‑first world are now facing a single month of reckoning.”

— Business Insider retail coverage, 2025

“We have to make tough decisions to secure the long‑term health of the business. Unfortunately, that means closing some stores and saying goodbye to valued colleagues.”

— River Island company statement, quoted by RSVP Live, August 2025

Both perspectives — external analysis and internal reality — point to the same conclusion: the September wave is just the visible part of a deeper restructuring. For every store that closes publicly, others are being quietly mothballed or not renewed.

What should shoppers and workers expect next?

For shoppers in the UK and Ireland, the choices are narrowing: fewer physical stores mean greater reliance on online delivery or longer travel times. For workers, the retail sector is shedding entry‑level roles faster than other industries can absorb them. The PowerToFly (job‑market research firm) list of eight disappearing jobs by 2030 includes cashiers and travel agents — roles heavily concentrated in the retail ecosystem. For the British high street, the choice is clear: reinvent its purpose (more services, leisure, community space) or watch vacancy rates climb above the grim levels of 2020.