Popular outdoor clothing retailer, Millets is closing six of its stores in 2025. These include the retailer’s store on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough in September.
Of these six stores, the company plans to rebrand four stores located in Lowestoft, Douglas, York, and Grimsby and reopen them as GO Outdoors, a sister brand to Millets. It has also launched a 30 per cent closing down sale at its store in Bracknell. Additionally, the Worthing store, which has been in operation since 2016, is expected to close by 2026-end and will be replaced by a GO Outdoors Express.
A retailer of major outdoor brands like Berghaus, The North Face, and Jack Wolfskin, Millets is owned by JD Sports which acquired the brand in 2012 when it rescued Millets's previous owner, Blacks, from administration.
These latest closures reflect the ongoing struggles faced by high street retailers, including reduced consumer spending, rising staffing costs, and increasing operational bills. The growing popularity of online shopping also continues to pose a significant challenge.
The retail sector has seen a wave of recent store closures. H&M-owned clothing brand Monki is closing its Glasgow store in Buchanan Galleries this August. New Look has also announced a series of store closures, with 11 branches already shut down in 2025, and its Neath, Wales, location is set to close on August 6. Furthermore, Poundland is closing 37 stores in August as part of a restructuring plan following its sale to Gordon Brothers earlier this year.
