Hobbycraft closing nine stores across UK today in major blow to high street

Hobbycraft is closing nine high street stores today in what the arts and crafts retailer has called an "extremely difficult" decision. Its private equity firm owner Modella Capital previously revealed the closures could impact up to 126 jobs.

The closures form part of a larger restructure, which the retailer said is necessary to help secure the future of at least 99 stores and 1,800 jobs across the business.

The Hobbycraft stores closing today are:

• Basildon, Essex
• Bagshot, Surrey
• Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
• Bristol, Imperial Retail Park
• Cirencester, Gloucestershire
• Canterbury, Kent
• Dunstable, Bedfordshire
• Epping Forest, Essex
• Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex

Disappointed shoppers have been reacting to the news on social media. One person said: "That’s sad. Spent quite a lot in stores over the years."

Another said: "Oh noooooo it’s the only one I go to regularly as the rest are too far away!" A third person commented: "Oh no!! I love this store rather than using Amazon."

The restructuring will also result in redundancies across its Bournemouth head office and distribution centre in Burton-on-Trent.

Hobbycraft chief executive officer Alex Wilson said: "For many our stores are more than just arts and crafts supplies - they have become places for gaining crafting ideas and inspiration.

"Very sadly, the strength of our offering has not made us immune from the challenges faced by the retail sector in recent years. Closing stores is always a last resort and this has been an extremely difficult decision.

"Making these changes is sadly a necessary action to enable us to keep our doors open to crafters up and down the country."

Hobbycraft isn't the only retailer to be closing stores. The Mirror has recently reported on how Poundland has confirmed 68 stores will close as part of a major restructure. The budget chain will also seek rent reductions at a number of other locations.

On top of this, Poundland will also look to close its distribution centre at Darton, South Yorkshire and its national distribution centre at Bilston in the West Midlands in early 2026.

Poundland will also stop selling frozen food, and its website will stop taking orders, although shoppers will still be able to browse products and deals online.

The restructuring plan, which would put more than 1,000 jobs at risk, would need to be approved by the High Court before it can go ahead. Poundland, which is owned by Pepco Group, currently has 792 stores and employs around 16,000 people.

It expects its total store number to eventually be reduced to between 650 to 700, meaning further closures could be announced in the future as leases expire.