AN ICONIC department store with a history spanning over 200 years has closed its doors for the final time today.
Jolly’s of Bath, one of Europe‘s oldest and most cherished department stores, operated by the Frasers Group, has drawn its shutters for the last time, marking the end of an era.
The store first opened its doors as a seasonal shop in 1823, establishing itself as a cornerstone of Bath’s high street.
It was later acquired by House of Fraser in 1970, becoming part of the iconic retail chain.
The announcement of its closure was made in December 2024, prompting a significant closing-down sale in the months that followed.
Heartbroken locals have taken to social media to express their sadness over the loss of this beloved institution, which has been a fixture of the city for over two centuries.
One person said on Facebook: “My Aunty Betty worked [there] when I was a young women.”
“Now 60. It was a beautiful, stylish building. Harrods in Bath.
“What a terrible shame. Bath will not be the same.”
Another said: “Heartbreaking, actually really sad.”
A statement from Bath and North East Somerset Council, who own the building, previously said: “House of Fraser went into administration in August 2018 and since then the council has been working hard to ensure a secure future for this flagship store at the heart of the Milsom Quarter
“A significant element of the plan is to make Jolly’s once again the anchor store for Milsom Street, and a programme of works, which are already underway, will see significant investment in the building over the coming months.
“While plans are at an advanced stage with a third-party occupier, the council is not in a position to make a formal statement at this time in relation to its proposals for the future of one of Bath’s most important department stores.”
This development comes as the owners of the Jolly’s brand, Frasers Group, embark on a major overhaul of their House of Fraser stores, with plans to either close or repurpose many of them.
House of Fraser was rescued from collapse in 2018 by billionaire businessman Mike Ashley.
While his intervention saved the chain’s 59 stores and safeguarded 17,000 jobs that were under threat, the years since have seen a steady decline in the number of locations.
Today, only 28 House of Fraser department stores remain, with the recent closure of the Bluewater branch reducing this number even further.
In recent months, the chain has bid farewell to several of its outlets. The store in Bristol’s Cabot Circus shopping centre closed its doors in August, while branches in Birmingham, Cardiff, and Guildford have also been shuttered, with closing-down signs adorning their windows.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
Other shops leaving the high street
Beales, one of Britain’s oldest department stores, has launched a closing down sale before it shuts its last remaining shop after more than 140 years.
The company will shut its branch in Poole’s Dolphin Centre on May 31.
The sale includes fashion, furniture, gifts and cosmetics, being sold for up to 70% off.
Beales chief executive Tony Brown blamed the “devastating impact” of the rise in national insurance contributions and the higher minimum wage for the store closure.
Meanwhile, high street fashion chain New Look has begun to close stores as it scales back its UK footprint.
It is understood to be shutting nearly 100 stores – equivalent to around a quarter of its 364 shops.
Stores in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, St Austell, Cornwall and Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf have launched closing down sales.
Reports suggest that the company has been forced to accelerate the pace of store closures due to tax changes in the Autumn Budget.
Meanwhile, Huttons in London will shut its store in the Putney Exchange due to excessive energy costs.
The gift shop became a local icon after it opened in the 1990s.
