Eight major retailers will be closing sites this month - with some set to shut more than one.

The British high street has suffered over the last few years. Reduced footfall andhave forced many retailers to tighten their belts and close some of their brick-and-mortar sites. However, it is always important to note that some retailers close sites for other business reasons and not because they are struggling financially.

According to recent data from the Centre for Retail Research, around 13,479 high street stores closed for good last year, a 28% increase from the previous year. It estimates that around 17,350 stores will close this year as higher (NICs) and increases in thtake effect in April.

Sadly, the closures are coming earlier, with a handful of popularclosing sites this month. Here we have listed all of the retailers with sites pulling down shutters over the coming few weeks.

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The Body Shop is set to close its Sheffield branch this month after 30 years in the city. The skin and beauty retailer will close its store on Orchard Square on January 15.

Sadly, it's not the only Body Shop closing this month, with the retailer's site on Castle Street in Norwich shutting down on January 15 after 44 years of business. Last year, the Body Shop made headlines after falling into administration.

At the time, the retailer made around 800 members of staff redundant and closed 82 shops in the following weeks. The chain was then rescued from administration in September by Aurea Group. At the time the deal looked set to help its 113 UK stores to remain trading.

Last month, H&M announced that it would be closing all seven of its Monki branches in the UK with two closing in January.

The retailer - owned by the global chain H&M - is closing sites in Manchester and Newcastle - with the Newscastle site already gone.

The Newcastle branch in the Eldon Square shopping centre closed on Thursday, January 2. The Manchester branch, located in the city's Arndale Centre, will close on Tuesday, January 17. H&M says it is closing its Monki stores to merge the brand with fellow fashion chain Weekday.

Matalan is set to close its store in Chester for good this week. The store on Stadium Way near Greyhound Retail Park will be pulling down its shutters for good on the first Saturday in 2025 - on January 4.

A spokesperson for the clothing and homeware store said the closure comes as the landlord wanted to "redevelop" the site. The spokesperson said: "Our priority is to support our colleagues and we are working closely with all those affected and where possible offering them alternative positions."

High street favourite shopped locals in Coventry when it announced it would be closing its Foleshill Road branch this month.

A sign was recently put up in the shop window, telling customers that the site would be closing for the last time tomorrow, January 4.

The sign reportedly read: "Sorry, we are closing on January 4, 2025. Your nearest shop is 118/120 Jubilee Crescent, Radford." Greggs has confirmed that the site is not part of a wider plan to cut branches.

The children’s toy chain The Entertainer has another branch set to close this week. Its Edinburgh branch in Cameron Toll shopping centre - which has been there for 10 years - will close for good on January 4.

The toy chain has not confirmed the reason behind the closure. However, the Entertainer's boss, Andrew Murphy, has previously claimed changes in Labour's will affect the retailer's finances. The Entertainer says it has dropped plans to open two new stores due to business changes in the Budget.

Deichmann is set to close its Commercial Street branch in Newport, Wales, on January 11. The shoe chain has been there for the last 17 years, and the retailer has not yet confirmed the reason behind the move. Shoppers wanting to visit Deichmann after the closure will need to go to its next closest store in Cwmbran.

The struggling cinema chain announced last year that five of its UK sites would close to prevent the chain from collapsing into administration.

In December, Cineworld confirmed that another six sites would close for good in January as part of its restructuring plans. Overall, 11 Cineworld sites were set to close.

The closures announced saw Cineworld's site in Weymouth close for good on December 30, and the five others in Middlesbrough, Northampton, Castleford, Leigh, and Poole are set to shut on January 19.

High street coffee chain Starbucks is set to close to of its UK branches this month. The first will be its store on Dumfries high street on January 12.

Starbucks has not revealed the reason behind the closure; however, a spokesperson said the chain regularly reviews its portfolio to ensure stores are relevant to customers. After the closures, shoppers will need to head to the chain's store on Annan Road to get their caffeine fix.

The second Starbucks branch will be its coffee shop inside the Cineworld site in Sixfields Leisure Park in Northampton.

Starbucks says the shop will be closing alongside the cinema chain on January 19. A spokesperson for Starbucks said: “Following Cineworld's announcement that they are closing, our store inside Cineworld Sixfields will also close alongside it on January 19, and we are in the process of working with our employees to offer them positions at nearby stores.

"We thank our customers for their loyalty over the years and invite them to find their nearest stores in Northampton, Market Square and St James Retail Park."

WHSmith will be closing one of its UK branches on January 18. The stationary chain's Old Christchurch Road branch in Bournemouth, Dorset, will be pulling down the shutters after it closes on Saturday, with shoppers able to benefit from the 50% closing down sale in the lead-up.

WHSmith has not confirmed the reason why it is closing down this branch however it comes after the chain pulled the shutters o n it's Boscombe branch on Christchurch Road in the summer. A third WHSmith site will be shutting on February 1 this year. This will be the branch on Wimborne Road, in Winton.

The book and stationery chain has closed ten stores since March 2023 but plans to open ten to fifteen new stores next year, some of which will serve hot food and coffee. The chain also plans to expand its range of branded confectionery, snacks, drinks, and its own labels.

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