Fashion retailer River Island will close 33 stores across the UK after the High Court approved its restructuring plans.
Five of the stores closing are in Scotland, including the Princes Street store in Edinburgh. The others are in Cumbernbauld, Falkirk, Kirkcaldy and Perth.
The company has been the victim of a shift to online shopping and higher operating costs which have seen it run up multi-million pound losses.
Retailers have faced the brunt of higher staff costs as a result of the Chancellor’s hike in national insurance contributions and the living wage.
A restructuring plan is a court-supervised process enabling companies in financial difficulty to compromise with creditors.
River Island’s barrister Matthew Weaver KC told the High Court that the company faced insolvency unless the plan was approved.
Following today’s judgement it will hold talks with landlords to reduce rents at a further 71 stores.
About 110 of almost 1,000 staff at River Island’s head office will be made redundant, saving an estimated £8.1m.
Chief executive Ben Lewis, said the plan “will enable us to align our store estate to our customers’ needs”.
Stores closing in January 2026:
Beckton
Bangor Bloomfield
Wrexham
Edinburgh Princes Street
Hereford
Surrey Quays
Didcot
Sutton Coldfield
Aylesbury
Burton-Upon-Trent
Northwich
Taunton
Workington
Falkirk
Cumbernauld
Kirkcaldy
Gloucester
Hartlepool
Brighton
Lisburn
Norwich
Oxford
Poole
Kilmarnock
Hanley
Barnstaple
Grimsby
Leeds Birstall Park
Rochdale
Great Yarmouth
St Helens
Stockton On Tees
Perth
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