These 12 Richmond shops have closed forever (and what replaced them!)
By The Editor
17th Mar 2021 | Local News
The pandemic has hit high-streets hard.
The rise of online shopping coupled with three national lockdowns has really taken its toll on prosperous and popular shopping destinations such as George Street in the heart of Richmond.
It has lost a number of big names over the past year, including its flagship House of Fraser Store, which closed in September.
At its annual general meeting last year, the borough's business improvement district Be Richmond said: "Short-term action will involve dressing those spaces to improve the attractiveness of the high street.
"Longer term strategy will consider how we make Richmond desirable to new businesses that may want to establish offices and retail/hospitality offerings here."
Colourful graphics showcasing the borough's rich cultural and natural heritage have been installed on shop fronts to brighten up the high street and discussions are ongoing about long-term and sustainable developments for the town centre.
Below is a list of some of the town's shops that have closed down for good – and the businesses that replaced them.
Bowleys Fine Shoes – 72-73 George Street
A Richmond favourite, but sadly Bowleys had to close over the summer due to financial challenges. Its parent company Johnsons Shoes Company was bought out in the summer, leading to job loses, including positions at the store in Richmond and East Sheen.
Carphone Warehouse – 53 George Street – soon to become Laser Clinics
At the start of the pandemic in March the mobile phone retailer announced that it would close all 531 stand-alone stores, resulting in 2,900 redundancies.
Cos – 81-83 George Street
Another well-loved clothing store left Richmond in September.
It is part of the H&M Group, which announced plans to close 170 of its stores due to declining sales amid the coronavirus crisis last year.
Joseph – 28 Hill Street
Another clothing store that closed its shutters for the last time this year.
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Laura Ashley – 45 George Street
An early casualty of the pandemic, Laura Ashley went bust in March last year.
However, in October, it was announced that Next would sell Laura Ashley home products online and across its 500 stores in the UK and Ireland. Massimo Dutti – 44 George Street The clothing store closed last year after its owners, Spanish multinational fashion group Inditex, announced they would be closing 3,785 shops globally after the pandemic caused sales to plunge. Matches Fashion – 13 Hill Street At the beginning of the pandemic the brand announced it has closed its retail stores in London for "the foreseeable future", as a result of coronavirus. This store has since permanently closed. Molton Brown – 4 George Street The luxury bath and beauty store has left Richmond's high street, but the brand is said to have seen an increase in online sales this year. Smiggle – 57-58 George Street The Australian-owned stationary store was also heavily impacted by the effects of the pandemic and shut the store in Richmond. TM Lewin – 48 George Street In July the suit shop announced it would not reopen any of its 77 UK stores and instead decided to trade exclusively on its website. Topshop – 53-54 George Street – now Aqua Last summer the fashion store closed its two-floor Topshop and Topman store, leaving nearest branches in Kingston Upon Thames, Croydon and White City. Vision Express – 23-24 George Street[.l] Across the road, Vision Express also closed, with a notice saying: "All glasses and contact lens orders will now be sent free of course via Hermes to your home address. "Thanks to our dedicated employees for their hard work during this challenging time. We hope you and your loved ones are safe." Thankfully, you can still find Vision Express just a minute away at 10 The Quadrant.
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