Telford River Island escapes store cull

Clothes retailer River Island has announced a cull of 33 stores in the UK, but the store in Telford Shopping Centre survives.

Ben Lewis, CEO of the under pressure fashion retailer said: “River Island is a much-loved retailer, with a decades-long history on the British high street.

“However the well-documented migration of shoppers from the high street to online has left the business with a large portfolio of stores that is no longer aligned to our customers’ needs.

“The sharp rise in the cost of doing business over the last few years has only added to the financial burden.”

While 33 stores are earmarked for closure, many of the remaining stores are likely to be asking landlords for a rent cut to remain open, some reportedly at a zero rent model, which passes problems onto freeholders.

Lewis went on to say …”only with a restructuring plan that we will be able to see this strategy through and secure River Island’s future as a profitable retail business.

“We regret any job losses as a result of store closures, and we will try to keep these to a minimum.”

It would be easy to think that the days are numbered for high street stores like River Island, but in comparison, Next have had a bumper 2025 with sales up 11.4% in the first quarter, that’s £55million ahead of forecast.

When did you last buy anything from River Island?