DISAPPOINTED shoppers dubbed their high street a “ghost town” as another bargain chain pulled down the shutters for good.
The popular company, with over 500 branches, announced another permanent closure in just hours.
The Works in Caernarfon, Wales is waving goodbye to loyal customers today.
But, it is not all bad news for the discount craft retailer, as staff are being moved to nearby branches in Bangor and Llandudno.
A spokesperson for The Works said: “We can confirm that we will be closing our store in Caernarfon on 17th March.
“We have loved being part of the local community and apologise for any inconvenience caused by this closure.
“We are working to redeploy all team members to local stores and customers can continue to shop with us at our nearby stores in Bangor and Llandudno.”
They continued: “We constantly review our property portfolio to ensure we have the right mix of stores in the right locations to best serve our customers.
“This occasionally means closing stores, whilst also improving our stores with refits or relocations if a more favourable site becomes available.
“We’re always on the lookout for new locations too and have a handful of new openings planned in the coming months.”
Disappointed shoppers were quick to hail The Works in light of its closure.
“Such a shame. We often go there,” penned one on Facebook.
“I was shocked to hear The Works is going,” added another.
A third commented: “Oh no, what a shame, I always buy my books there, it’s always busy too.”
“Oh no. I love The Works it has something for everyone especially families and craft lovers,” someone else posted.
“It will become a ghost town soon,” added another disheartened customer.
One user pitched in and said: “No new businesses can afford to start up. It’s a vicious circle which is killing off the high street.”
It comes as thousands of high street stores have waved goodbye in an epidemic of closures across the UK.
Even industry giants have fallen victim in recent months.
British retailers saw the amount of goods they sold drop last month at its fastest rate in three years.
Sales volumes dipped by 3.2% in December, data according to the Office for National Statistics, down from a rise of 1.4% a month before.
The Body Shop bosses recently called in administrators with a “significant number” of jobs and shops at risk as the brand is set to begin an insolvency processes.
Meanwhile, popular beauty retailer Boots has also sadly announced it will be closing 300 shops this year, following several closures in 2023.
And, discount food shop Lidl, have also seen their fair share of locations shut down.
The full list, of which there are 1,168 locations, includes sites across all areas of Great Britain – including: 66 in Scotland, 83 in Yorkshire, 83 in central England, 91 in south London and 42 in south-mid Wales.
Bargain hunters were also devastated to learn the discount retailer B&M closed yet another shop.
Meanwhile, Argos, Next, Jack Wills and Poundland have all announced they will shut selected branches forever this year.
It follows the rising cost of living, energy bills soaring and even some businesses continuing to feel the knock-on effect from the Pandemic.
Shoppers have been forced to slash their spending while the cost of running stores has also increased.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) this summer found the UK had lost 6,000 stores over a five-year period.