UK department store to close forever in weeks after plunging into administration

A UK department store is set to close forever in weeks after plunging into administration. House of Fraser's flagship store in Birmingham city centre has launched a huge closing-down sale and will shut its doors for good in late June.

Staff at the Corporation Street branch were told yesterday that the store - one of only a few House of Frasers remaining in the UK - will close in just over two months. Prices have been slashed on everything across all floors, with discounts of up to 60 % on items including fragrances, bicycles and clothing.

Dozens of "closing down" signs advertising 20 % off everything have appeared throughout the store, reported Birmingham Live.

It is not yet clear how the closure will affect jobs. The store has been a shadow of its former self for years, with entire floors closed off and lights switched off.

It was converted into one of the chain's outlet branches in 2023. House of Fraser took over the site from Rackhams - a Birmingham-founded department store that traded in the city for more than a century - in August 2003.

The business was saved by Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley after falling into administration in 2018. In 2023, the company confirmed plans to rebrand some stores under the Frasers name.