Popular chain shop shuts in UK city after slamming Labour tax grabs

A popular high street chain has announced the closure of its branch in a UK cathedral city after slamming "highly adverse" Government policies. Retailer Shoe Zone said its store on Silver Street in Salisbury was due to close this week, after revealing plunging annual profits and a negative forecast for 2026. The group's pre-tax profits slumped by more than two-thirds to £3.3 million in the year to September 27, down from £10.1 million the previous year.

Its profits are also forecast to drop to around £1 million in the year to October, marking a 70% annual drop. Shoe Zone shut 39 of its stores in the 2024/25 year and the upcoming Salisbury closure suggests more of its portfolio, thought to number around 260 sites, could also be in line for the chop. While no date has been confirmed for the Wiltshire branch's closure, the Salisbury Journal reports it will pull down its shutters for the last time between April and June.