A River Island store is shutting down in a historic market town in a blow to locals. The branch in the centre of Rugby, Warwickshire, is to close its doors for the final time in a matter of days.

A huge clearance sale has reportedly been set up at the fashion store which is one of several due to shut this year. The branch in Rugby is set to close down on February 7, according to a sign in the shop window. Part of the sign reads: “Thanks for shopping with us — we’ve had a blast! You can still shop the latest trends at riverisland.com and nearby locations.” 

A 30% off sale has been launched at the store to try to move stock ahead of the pending closure, reports The Sun.

Locals online have been sharing their disappointment over the news.

One Facebook user said: “Sad to have yet another empty shop though. Sign of the times.”

Another added: “Sad times as I remember the brand experience being a lot better in my younger years.”

Nearly 30 River Island stores were due to close this month, with the major retailer attributing the closures to changing customer habits and high running costs in a similar tale to many high street chains.

As part of a significant restructure, River Island already closed nine stores on January 18, six on January 24, one on January 26 and 11 on Saturday.

The chain’s CEO Ben Lewis said that while the fashion brand is “much loved” in the UK, a “large portfolio of stores no longer aligned to our customers’ needs”. 

Last year was a tricky time for River Island which in August narrowly avoided administration by securing a restructuring plan to address a £124.3 million pre-tax loss and severe cash shortages.

The plan included closing 33 UK stores, reducing rents at 71 locations, and, aided by £40 million in funding, aims to improve profitability through 2028. 

The company faced a projected £43 million cash shortfall by September 2025, driven by high energy costs, inflation and intense competition from fast-fashion rivals such as Shein. 

Moving forward, the retailer is focusing on a smaller, more profitable store estate and a greater online presence to tackle declining high street footfall.

When closures were first announced last year, around 110 of the some 950 roles at River Island’s head office were reportedly made redundant, saving an estimated £8.1 million.

Several River Island branches have already closed — Brighton, Edinburgh, Great Yarmouth, and Stockton-on-Tees shut their doors at the end of last year.

1. Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire (Jan 18)
2. Brighton, East Sussex (Jan 18)
3. Burton-Upon-Trent, Derbyshire (Jan 18)
4. Leeds Birstall Park, West Yorkshire (Jan 18)
5. Lisburn, Northern Ireland (Jan 18)
6. Perth, Scotland (Jan 18)
7. Surrey Quays, Greater London (Jan 18)
8. Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire (Jan 18)
9. Taunton, Somerset (Jan 18)
10. Wrexham, Wales (Jan 18)
11. Bangor Bloomfield, Northern Ireland (Jan 24)
12. Cumbernauld, Scotland (Jan 24)
13. Hanley, Staffordshire (Jan 24)
14. Hartlepool, County Durham (Jan 24)
15. Kilmarnock, Scotland (Jan 24)
16. Northwich, Cheshire (Jan 24)
17. St Helens, Merseyside (Jan 24)
18. Altrincham, Manchester (Jan 26)
19. Barnstaple, Devon (Jan 31)
20. Beckton, Greater London (Jan 31)
21. Didcot, Oxfordshire (Jan 31)
22. Falkirk, Scotland (Jan 31)
23. Gloucester, Gloucestershire (Jan 31)
24. Grimsby, Lincolnshire (Jan 31)
25. Hereford, Herefordshire (Jan 31)
26. Kirkcaldy, Scotland (Jan 31)
27. Oxford, Oxfordshire (Jan 31)
28. Poole, Dorset (Jan 31)
29. Rochdale, Greater Manchester (Jan 31)
30. Rugby, Leicester Rd, (Feb 7)
31. Norwich, Norfolk (TBC)
32. Workington, Cumbria (TBC)