A major charity shop is set to close 39 stores in another blow to the UK’s high street. Disability charity Scope has listed the names of stores that are likely to face closure over the next few days. Earlier in January, the charity shop, which has several stores in England and Wales, had already announced that it would shut 138 of its stores.

According to the bosses, the chain had struggled with declining footfall and spiralling costs, including higher rents, energy bills, and staff costs, reports The Sun. Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said at the time: "As a result, and to ensure our funds are best focused upon our charitable purpose, we have let our teams know that we will be putting forward proposals to close some of our shops in stages, over the next 18 months."

Now, it has been confirmed that 39 stores will close by Monday, March 31. A store in Pwllheli, northwest Wales, that was originally set to close has been saved. However, an additional 31 shops face the risk of permanent closure between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.

Meanwhile, five more stores are expected to shut when their leases expire or when a break clause is exercised. Scope has already closed at least 22 underperforming stores, including those in Haywards Heath and Southampton.

The country is experiencing a significant wave of store closures, with around 12,804 retail stores shutting down in 2024, and the number is expected to rise in 2025. High street shops have been particularly affected, with an estimated 37 stores closing per day. The trend has been driven by a combination of rising business costs, shifts in consumer behaviour, and economic uncertainty following the Covid-19 pandemic