House of Fraser to close branch today with another planned to shut next month

28 August 2023 , 12:30

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Another House of Fraser department store will be closing today (Image: Getty Images)

House of Fraser is to close another one of its department stores today in another blow to the British high street.

The House of Fraser store in Mell Square, Solihull is set to shut its doors at the end of trading today. According to reports by BirminghamLive, reduction signs could be seen in the windows of the Solihull location earlier in the summer, yet the company had not released an exact date for the store’s closure.

A spokesperson for Frasers told the media publication: “It is with regret that we announce House of Fraser Solihull will be closing on August 28, 2023. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their hard work and dedication. Where possible, we are committed to finding new roles within the group for staff.”

The latest closures come as House of Fraser continues to cut its number of department stores after falling into administration a few years ago. House of Fraser was saved from collapse by Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley back in 2018 in a £90million pre-pack administration deal which saved the chain's 59 stores and 17,000 workers.

Since then, the company has nearly halved House of Fraser's store numbers, cutting its network from 59 to 31, with eight stores having already shut in the past year. Previous store closures have been seen in London, Leeds, High Wycombe, Huddersfield and Norwich.

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The next department store closure for the House of Fraser brand will be its branch in Guildford, which is set to shut for good on Saturday, September 30. According to reports by SurreyLive, closing down posters appeared in the shop’s windows in High Street and North Street a few weeks ago offering 20% off products.

After the purchase in 2018, Mike Ashley said he wanted to turn the 174-year-old retailer into the “Harrods of the high street”. However, since then, the department store has become well known for its prolonged sales and numerous store closures with Mr Ashley admitting to Forbes in 2019 that buying the department store was a "mistake".

Michael Murray, the chief executive of Frasers, has recently claimed that “the department store globally is broken” adding that some House of Fraser outlets were "still too big".

Ruby Flanagan