River Island has officially announced the specific dates for the closure of 27 of its stores within this month. The fashion retailer, which has been facing challenges, had previously disclosed its intention to close a total of 33 stores following the approval of a restructuring plan by the High Court.
Among the initial list of 33 stores marked for closure were branches in Brighton, Edinburgh Princes Street, Great Yarmouth, and Stockton-on-Tees, which ceased operations in the final months of 2025. River Island has now released the closing dates for an additional 27 stores, all scheduled to shut down in late January. Notably, the retailer will also be closing stores in Norwich, Norfolk and Workington, Cumbria, although closure dates for these locations are yet to be confirmed.
As part of its restructuring efforts, River Island is also reducing rents at 71 other shops. Prior to the court’s consideration of its rescue plan in August this year, the clothing chain operated 223 stores across the UK and Ireland.
The company reported a pre-tax loss of £32.3 million in the previous year, with a 15% decline in turnover to £578.1 million. River Island’s legal representative, Matthew Weaver KC, highlighted the company’s ongoing financial challenges, attributing the difficulties to decreased foot traffic and sales amidst a competitive retail landscape and the shift towards online shopping.
River Island’s CEO, Ben Lewis, acknowledged the shift in consumer behavior towards online shopping and emphasized the need to realign the store portfolio with customer preferences. Lewis outlined the company’s strategy to enhance its operations and ensure long-term sustainability, expressing optimism about the positive impact of recent fashion offerings and in-store improvements. However, he underscored the necessity of a restructuring plan to secure River Island’s profitability and regretted the potential job losses resulting from store closures, pledging efforts to minimize the impact on employees.