April 2025 store closures: Morrisons, Greggs WHSmith, Morrisons, Sainsbury's impacted

April will see a number of store closures from a host of leading brands - here is everything you need to know

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Phoebe CornishSenior Lifestyle Reporter

Lauren HaugheyLifestyle and Money Reporter

06:30, 29 MAR 2025

Greggs storefront — Greggs is saying goodbye to an outlet in Cambridge, after another closed in January (Image: (Image: Getty))

Retailers have been navigating a challenging environment in 2025, with monthly store closures becoming regular. The Centre for Retail Research's latest figures from February indicate that seven 'failing businesses', including Homebase, Beales, Select Fashion, and Quiz Clothing, have impacted more than 1,000 employees and 206 stores.

While some of these brands continue to operate online or are undergoing significant restructuring, their physical high street footprint has diminished. The trend is set to persist into April as numerous brands gear up to close down certain outlets.

High street retailers face stiff competition from online marketplaces, and when combined with steep commercial rents, maintaining flagship stores becomes increasingly untenable.

Greggs

Cambridge's beloved Greggs on Fitzroy Street is set to dish out its final steak bake and sausage roll next weekend, with the shop shutting for good on March 31.

Fans of the bakery chain have been left gutted by the announcement, with one dismayed Facebook user commenting: "I nearly cried when I read the news that the Grafton Greggs is closing."

In January, Greggs also said goodbye to a location in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.

WHSmith

The retail giant has announced plans to close 17 outlets this year and could sell all 500 of its high-street stores in the UK. Nonetheless, for April, the focus is on the closure of five specific branches:

Halesowen, West Midlands
Diss, Norfolk
Newport, Isle of Wight
Haverhill, Suffolk
Halstead, Essex

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's is expected to shutter 61 of its cafes permanently. This will result in the removal of menu items such as the £4.30 jacket potatoes, £7 chicken tikka masala, and £6.75 fish and chips.

The change is part of ongoing plans to create more space for 'fresh food ranges' and new self-service bread-slicing stations. Sainsbury's revealed that shoppers had not used its cafes regularly enough, though food halls and concessions have spiked in popularity.

Earlier this year, Simon Roberts, Sainsbury's Chief Executive, said: "We launched our Next Level Strategy almost a year ago and are totally focused on making good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone, every day.

"As a result, we're seeing real momentum across our business, with a best-ever value position, leading quality and increasing market share. As we accelerate into year two and beyond of our strategy, we are facing into a particularly challenging cost environment which means we have had to make tough choices about where we can afford to invest and where we need to do things differently to make our business more efficient and effective.

"The decisions we are announcing today are essential to ensure we continue to drive forward our momentum but have also meant some difficult choices impacting our dedicated colleagues in a number of parts of our business. We'll be doing everything we can to support anyone impacted by today's announcements."

While the exact dates for these closures are still unknown, they are considered imminent following the January announcement. A spokesperson told the Express that 'the consultation process is ongoing'.

Morrisons

The supermarket giant is shutting numerous Morrisons Daily convenience stores, Morrisons Cafés, Market Kitchens, florists, meat counters, fish counters and pharmacies. Below is a complete list of the cafe and store closures:

Morrisons stores