A high street retailer will close next month in one of the worst-hit towns for shop closures, less than three years after opening. Women's fashion retailer Bonmarche opened in April 2023 at Birchwood Shopping Centre in Warrington, Cheshire, to the delight of locals.

However, the centre announced that, despite efforts to keep Bonmarche, the store will close within a month. The fashion retailer has launched a clearance sale that will run until its final day on March 25. Birchwood Shopping Centre announced the news on social media, stating: "Sadly, Bonmarche have decided to leave us. We tried our hardest to keep them but to no avail and we will all be extremely sad to see them go."

The owners stated that an inability to reach new lease terms with the centre's management meant it could no longer continue trading at the site, reports The Sun.

A shopper commented on Facebook: "Gutted, it's a lovely shop, got lots from there and the staff are so lovely, feel sorry for them, going to miss it. Shame on the council for not letting it stay, just pure greed on their part."

Warrington has experienced a high number of closures over the last decade. Some 480 high street businesses have permanently ceased operations in the town between 2015 and 2025, according to barcodestore.co.uk, which conducted research across the UK.

It ranked the fifth worst for shop closures in the UK when taking into account its population size, with 22.9 closures for every 10,000 people. The research did not account for new openings.

*** Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. ***

Bonmarche has had a fair few struggles over the past few years. The retailer, which specialises in affordable clothing and accessories for women over 50, is a staple on the British high street, having been founded in 1982.

But in October 2019, the retailer went into administration, only to be saved by Edinburgh Woollen Mill. Then in November 2020, the Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group entered administration, citing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

In January 2021, Purepay Retail Limited saved them both and bought them out of administration. Bonmarche operates around 225 UK stores.