The high street fashion chain’s restructuring plan was approved by a high court judge earlier today (August 8), amid fears that the company could collapse into administration without the overhaul.
It will also secure reduced rents on 71 other stores as part of the plan.
Lawyers for River Island told the court that the company “simply has not been able to reverse” a trend of financial difficulty.
Which River Island stores are closing?
Here is a confirmed list of stores that will leave the high street and shopping centres by January 2026.
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Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
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Bangor Bloomfield, Northern Ireland
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Barnstaple, Devon
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Beckton, Greater London
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Brighton, East Sussex
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Burton-Upon-Trent, Derbyshire
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Cumbernauld, Scotland
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Didcot, Oxfordshire
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Edinburgh Princes Street, Scotland
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Falkirk, Scotland
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Gloucester, Gloucestershire
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Great Yarmouth
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Grimsby, Lincolnshire
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Hanley, Staffordshire
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Hartlepool, County Durham
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Hereford, Herefordshire
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Kilmarnock, Scotland
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Kirkcaldy, Scotland
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Leeds Birstall Park, West Yorkshire
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Lisburn, Northern Ireland
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Northwich, Cheshire
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Norwich, Norfolk
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Oxford, Oxfordshire
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Perth, Scotland
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Poole, Dorset
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Rochdale, Greater Manchester
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St Helens, Merseyside
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Stockton On Tees, County Durham
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Surrey Quays, Greater London
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Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire
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Taunton, Somerset
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Workington, Cumbria
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Wrexham, Wales
In total, River Island employs around 5,500 people.
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Ben Lewis, chief executive of River Island, said in June: “River Island is a much-loved retailer, with a decades-long history on the British high street.
“However, the well-documented migration of shoppers from the high street to online has left the business with a large portfolio of stores that is no longer aligned to our customers’ needs.
“The sharp rise in the cost of doing business over the last few years has only added to the financial burden.”
