Latest news with #Basingstoke
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Full list of nine chains closing shops on the high street in August – is your local at risk?
THIS August, the UK high street faces another wave of store closures, hitting shoppers and communities hard. From well-known budget favourites like Poundland to popular fashion brands such as New Look and Monki, a raft of familiar names are set to disappear. 1 The cost of running shops, from soaring energy bills to higher National Insurance, is pushing retailers to cut back. At the same time, more shoppers are going online, and with the cost-of-living crisis biting, people have less cash to spend. The result? Shops are closing, and high streets are starting to suffer. If you want to know which stores are shutting soon, we've got the full list right here. Apple Apple will close its two-floor Bristol city centre store in Cabot Circus on August 9, 2025 after 15 years. The closure comes as part of a redevelopment plan for Cabot Circus, which will replace the store with new flexible workspaces and public areas. GAME GAME is closing several UK stores this summer as part of a wider restructuring by parent company Frasers Group. Upcoming closures include Festival Place in Basingstoke on August 10, Southend High Street later in August, and Chatham in September. The Nottingham Victoria Centre store closed in July. Stores are running 20% off clearance sales ahead of closure. BrewDog to close TEN pubs across UK as staff set to be axed Hobbycraft As part of a major restructuring, arts and crafts retailer Hobbycraft will close three stores in early August 2025. The affected locations are Bromborough, Southport, and Stratford Upon Avon. The closures follow a strategic review aimed at reshaping the business. Monki Monki, owned by H&M, is closing its Glasgow store in Buchanan Galleries in August. The retailer has already shuttered branches in Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, and London earlier this year. The online store has also closed, with the brand being integrated into H&M's Weekday line. One remaining Monki store in Bristol remains open but will either close later this year or be transformed into a new concept. New Look New Look is continuing its wave of store closures, with a branch in Neath, Wales, set to close imminently on August 6, 2025. This follows a string of 11 closures already this year, including sites in Hamilton, Birmingham, Corby, Devizes, and others across England, Scotland, and Wales. The high street stalwart has warned that nearly 100 of its 364 UK stores could be at risk when leases expire, amid ongoing cost pressures such as the National Insurance hikes earlier this year. The retailer recently secured £30million in fresh equity investment to bolster its online operations and completed a £100million refinancing deal in 2023. Last year, New Look reported sales of £769million. Poundland Poundland is closing 26 stores in August 2025 as part of a wider restructuring plan following its £1 sale to Gordon Brothers earlier this year. Closing August 1: Newquay Closing 10 August: Ammanford Birmingham Fort Cardiff Valegate Cramlington Leicester Long Eaton Port Glasgow Seaham Shrewsbury Tunbridge Wells Closing August 17: Bedford Bidston Moss Broxburn Craigavon Dartmouth East Dulwich Falmouth Hull St Andrews Newtonabbey Perth Poole Sunderland Stafford Thornaby Worcester In addition, the Whiteley store in Fareham closed unexpectedly on July 21 2025, outside the announced closures. Whitby will close on September 3. Poundland is trimming its estate from nearly 800 stores to between 650 and 700 locations. The company is removing frozen foods, ending online sales, and expanding womenswear and seasonal lines. Managing director Barry Williams called the closures regrettable but necessary to secure thousands of jobs and hundreds of stores. River Island River Island is facing serious financial trouble and could run out of money by August 2025 if creditors and landlords do not approve a rescue plan. The chain plans to close 33 stores and seek rent reductions on another 71 to cut costs. Approval from 75% of creditors is needed to unlock an emergency loan from the founding Lewis family. Despite these challenges, River Island stores and its online site remain open as usual. The retailer reported a £33.2million pre-tax loss for 2023, with sales falling 19% in the following year. Several stores have already closed this year, including locations in Corby, Banbury, and Chesterfield. Superdrug Superdrug is set to close two more stores this summer, adding to a string of recent closures. The Grantham branch in Lincolnshire will shut on August 9, followed by the Redruth store in Cornwall closing on August 16. These latest closures follow the shutdown of its Bournemouth store earlier this year. The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) The Original Factory Shop, with 178 stores, continues to close locations amid restructuring. The Caldicot branch in Wales and Kirkham in Lancashire are set to close soon, while the closure date for Blairgowrie in Scotland is still unknown. Since June, TOFS has closed several stores across the UK and launched significant closing down sales. The retailer is undergoing a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) process to renegotiate rents and close loss-making outlets as part of efforts to stabilise the business. 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. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. 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."
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Adventurer James Ketchell sets sail on solo trip round the world
An adventurer is preparing to set sail on a solo trip around the Ketchell, from Basingstoke in Hampshire, will be setting off on his third circumnavigation challenge aboard his class 40 yacht named Ketchell has spent the past five years preparing for the adventure and is hoping to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe by air, land and will take around nine months to travel 30,000 miles (48, 280km), with stops in the Canary Islands, Cape Town, Melbourne, Uruguay, Antigua and New York before returning to port in Gosport. The expedition is Mr Ketchell's second sailing attempt after he was forced to abandon his first try in 2024 due to a gearbox a statement ahead of his planned departure from Premier's Gosport Marina at 14:00 BST, Mr Ketchell said: "Embarking on my third circumnavigation of the world, this time upon a yacht that I love, will be a significant challenge for me both physically and mentally."But [it is] one I have been prepared for thanks to my team and the support I've received." In 2013, he circumnavigated the globe on a bicycle and again in 2019 in a time, Mr Ketchell is hoping to take young people on a virtual journey with him around the world, with plans to livestream videos to classrooms manager Jonathan Walcroft said: "We are incredibly proud to have supported James on his inspiring journey around the world. "Our team has worked closely with James to ensure he has everything he needs for a safe and successful circumnavigation. "James' journey is a testament to the spirit of adventure that defines our marina." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
How to survive the Euro 2025 final with your nerves intact
If you're a fan of the England women's football team, chances are you've been on a bit of an emotional agonisingly close quarter-final against Sweden ended with a tense penalty shootout, while an equalising semi-final goal from Michelle Agyemang only happened in the 96th minute."I feel like I'm going to have to go to the doctors when I get home," says Jenny, from Kent, who watched it all from the stands."They are putting us through the ringer.""I basically bit all my nails off," says Sophie, who is in Switzerland with her sister, Nicola, from Basingstoke, describes feeling shaky. "I had to take some time to decompress."Even if you weren't watching the action with thousands of other jittery fans in the stadium, chances are you've felt some of the same effects. But whether you're in the stands or on the sofa, why do football matches produce such intense physical reactions? 'Stress reponse' The answer lies in our hormones says Dr Martha Newson, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of she explains, goes up on match days, as does adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol. The most loyal fans have the biggest stress response, she says, and that's the same for men and women. During peaks in the game - like a nail-biting penalty shootout - the adrenaline rush, or fight or flight response, prepares the body for action, says Dr David Crepaz-Keay, Head of Research and Applied Learning at the Mental Health it can feel scary, there's nothing to be alarmed about - it's a sign that you care."You are just completely there with them and it's like you're walking up to the spot, ready to take that penalty… your senses are just going into overdrive."The heart rate rises as it rushes to send more oxygen around the body. And if you feel buzzy, he says, that's because the effects can act as can last for hours, affecting our sleep as we come down from our excitement and can even influence our behaviour the following day. Don't be surprised if you feel like eating more after the match or getting out the credit card."Fans consume more calories after a loss," says Dr Newson, explaining that they're responding to a psychological need to replenish their reserves after a time of the flip side, fans might feel an urge to splurge after a win. "We can see the evolutionary mind working like, okay, I've won so I can spend money, I can accumulate resources," she this for a sport that's supposed to be about fun and bonding. So what can fans do to manage these very real side-effects? Dr Joseph Barker, a clinical psychologist for the NHS and Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at Norwich Medical School, advises getting a good rest the night before. Having a clear match day plan of where you are going, what you are doing and what you are likely to do afterwards will also help alleviate stress."As we've got no control during the game, if we can find things to control before and after the game that can build our emotional resilience to cope."It's important to eat well, he says, and as much as it might be tempting, he advises against drinking alcohol, because it gives us less ability to regulate our things get too tense, he says fans can always take a break and rejoin the match a bit Crepaz-Keay says movement is key to help manage that adrenaline surge - when your body is geared up for action, there's nowhere for that energy to go if you stay on the sofa. But just remember to keep anything breakable out of arm and leg reach. Be part of something bigger Most of all, the experts advise trying to reframe the nerves and jitters as an enjoyable experience."In England particularly, we are not necessarily brought up to express our emotions. And sport gives us the excuse to do that. Sport gives us licence to shout, to scream, to dance, to cheer, to sing," says Dr Crepaz-Keay. "Even if we don't win, you're still part of something bigger... that's something that we can all take pride and joy in."It's a view shared by Jenny and Charlotte in advises embracing the stress and having patience as "anything can happen in the last second"."You're going to get overwhelmed and your heart rate will go up… but this is really exciting." Additional reporting by Elise Wicker and Yazmina Garcia
The Sun
21-07-2025
- The Sun
Miracle as cat survives horror noose attack by teen thug smashing the family pet against a wall THREE times
TABBY cat Marshall is on the mend after being swung around in a noose and repeatedly smashed into a wall by a thug. A doorbell camera caught Henry Newey, 18, dragging the ginger moggie by a rope tied around its neck. 3 3 3 The cruel lout was then seen swinging the pet three times into the side of a house. Newey was shown on the footage calmly walking away following the attack at 6am on Thursday. Marshall vanished before returning home in Basingstoke, Hants, at 1am on Friday — gasping for breath and with rope still around his throat. The cat was taken to a vet and given painkillers for bruising and swelling, but amazingly X-rays found no broken bones. A GoFundMe page set up by Marshall's owner Sarah Keeling, who had no pet insurance, has already raised almost £4,000. Any money left over will go to animal charities. Sarah, a mum who is eight months pregnant, wrote: 'As a family we have been overwhelmed by the support. "I have a very happy eight-year-old girl who has her little friend back.' Hampshire Police said: 'We are pleased to report the cat has received treatment and has since returned home with its owners.' Newey, of Basingstoke, was remanded on conditional bail at Southampton magistrates' court on Saturday after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. He will be sentenced in September.
BBC News
21-07-2025
- BBC News
French probe into death of wine boss Philip Tuck criticised
A coroner has criticised the French police investigation into the death of the co-founder of a premium wine merchant killed in a crash with a car while on a cycling Tuck, 59, from Old Basing, near Basingstoke, Hampshire, who was a qualified master of wine and worked for Ascot-based Hatch Mansfield, was riding in the Burgundy area when he was struck by a car on 20 July inquest into his death heard Mr Tuck's son Felix and his friend Tom Caine avoided being hit by the BMW which went on to collide with Mr Tuck, who was riding at a distance behind a conclusion of accidental death, coroner Simon Burge said the investigation left "many unanswered questions". In a statement read to the hearing at Winchester Coroner's Court, Felix Tuck described how his father was "happy and enjoying the ride" on a road "wide enough for two cars".He said he and Mr Caine had turned around and rode back up the hill to find people attempting to help his father with his "smashed up" Pinarello bike at the side of the Simon Burge said attempts were made to save Mr Tuck's life by the driver and other members of the public before police and ambulance arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the coroner said the driver of the BMW, a French man with his daughter in the rear seat, told police the first two riders had cut across to the wrong side of the road on the claimed the collision happened when he was unable to avoid hitting Mr Tuck who had taken the same approach to the bend. 'Ghastly accident' Mr Burge added the police determined the crash was an accident and the driver would not be Tuck's widow, Kate, told the hearing she was concerned the driver had provided "inconsistent" statements, particularly by giving varying estimates of his speed from 50kph (31mph) to 70kph (43mph) in the 80kph (50mph) added photographs of the scene suggested the crash happened before the Tuck said: "It was a ghastly accident however we look at it and nothing will bring him back, but it's hugely disappointing if I feel the record states that my husband was riding on the wrong side of the road and there is no independent evidence to corroborate."Mr Burge said: "I do not reach any conclusion that Philip, Felix or Tom were riding recklessly."Criticising the investigation, the coroner, said: "Sadly the investigation carried out locally by the gendarmerie was inadequate in my view and leaves many unanswered questions."In a tribute to Mr Tuck released after his death, Hatch Mansfield said: "Philip was an immensely kind, loyal and considerate man." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
