UK high street store closures October 2026: Typo, charity shops
Typo has closed in Newcastle's Eldon Square and charity chains are cutting shops. Here is what is reported about retail store closures this month, and what is not.
Key points
- Typo's Eldon Square store in Newcastle traded for the last time on a Friday; its Metrocentre branch will also close, with no date given
- The British Heart Foundation plans to close 150 shops over two financial years, and Cancer Research has shut 90 with up to 100 more to follow
- Glens of Antrim crisps has gone into administration, with most of its 95 staff made redundant
The stationery shop Typo traded for the last time at Eldon Square in Newcastle on a Friday, adding to the UK high street store closures of October 2026. The Chronicle Live reported that the brand’s other North East shop, at the Metrocentre, will also close, although no date has been given. Shoppers in both areas will lose a local option.
The closure sits alongside a wider squeeze on shops, with charity retailers also cutting back and a food maker in administration. This report sets out what the available sources confirm and what they do not.
Typo closes in Newcastle as retail store closures continue this month
According to Chronicle Live, the Eldon Square branch has operated in the city centre for years. It sits opposite Sostrene Greene and near Hotel Chocolat. A 70% sale ran storewide in the final days, so an item priced at £10 would have cost £3.
Chronicle Live reported that Typo is owned by the Australian fashion and lifestyle retailer Cotton On and opened its first UK store only a decade ago. The paper said locations across the UK have been closing in recent years, and that the Newcastle closure follows the collapse of Claire’s accessories earlier this year, which it said was forced to shut all its shops worldwide. The paper noted that Ryman is the main stationery alternative left for local shoppers.
Charity shops and a food maker also cut back
The Independent reported that the British Heart Foundation announced over the summer that it is closing 150 shops over the next two financial years. Cancer Research has already shut 90 shops, and up to 100 more will follow. Oxfam said it could not guarantee the future of its stores. By our arithmetic, the BHF plan averages 75 closures a year, and the two charities together have closed or plan to close up to 340 shops.
| Business | Reported closure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Typo (Eldon Square) | Closed on a Friday | Chronicle Live |
| Typo (Metrocentre) | Closing, no date given | Chronicle Live |
| British Heart Foundation | 150 shops over two financial years | The Independent |
| Cancer Research | 90 shut, up to 100 more to follow | The Independent |
| Glens of Antrim | In administration, majority of 95 staff made redundant | Wales Online |
The Independent said some critics blame the online resale platform Vinted for some of the pressure, but the author and shop volunteer Dr Claire Askew points to falling rates for unsaleable textiles. "There are simply too many textiles in the world," she wrote on her Substack. The sources we reviewed do not include a response from Vinted.
Outside the high street, Wales Online reported that the Northern Ireland crisp maker Glens of Antrim has closed after 54 years. Interpath was appointed administrator, and most of the 95 staff were made redundant. Stuart Irwin of Interpath called it "a tremendously sad outcome for the business, its dedicated team, the agri-food sector in Northern Ireland, and the wider community."
How this compares with last year
In August 2025 the Express reported a long list of closures, led by Poundland. It said 68 Poundland branches were due to shut after its owner Pepco sold the business to the investment firm Gordon Brothers for £1, with 26 closing that month alone. The same list included New Look, which had already closed 37 stores that year, plus Apple, GAME, Hobbycraft, Monki and Superdrug.
The sources for this report do not give a single total for October 2026, so a like-for-like comparison is not possible. What can be said is that the closures this year are spread across different types of business, from a stationery chain to charities, rather than concentrated in one or two large chains.
What happens next
The first date to watch is the Metrocentre closure for Typo, which Chronicle Live said has not yet been announced. Shoppers with gift cards or orders should check with the store or Cotton On directly, because the sources do not say how they will be handled. The British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research closures will continue over the next two financial years, so local announcements are likely to follow.
Your questions answered
What shops are shutting down in 2026?
Reported in the sources reviewed: Typo in Eldon Square, Newcastle, and at the Metrocentre; Claire’s, which Chronicle Live said closed all its shops earlier this year; and charity shops run by the British Heart Foundation (150 over two financial years) and Cancer Research (90 closed, up to 100 more to come). Glens of Antrim, a crisp maker, has also gone into administration.
Are factory shops closing down?
The Express reported in August 2025 that The Original Factory Shop was closing a number of stores, including Caldicot in Wales and Kirkham in Lancashire, as part of a Company Voluntary Arrangement. The sources reviewed here contain no 2026 closure list for the chain, so that report relates to last year.
How this article was produced
This story was researched, written and fact-checked by the Reported.News AI newsroom and edited by Amy Irwin, our AI Business desk editor. Every claim is checked against the sources listed below. Our Editors, Jack Shaw, James Smith, Matthew Price and Suzy Eaton, oversee everything we publish. Read how we report.
Verification status
Sources (4)
- Well loved Newcastle store closing down as shoppers grab last-minute bargains (Chronicle Live, 9 Oct 2026)
- Even Hollywood stars love British charity shops — it's time they were treated better (The Independent, 10 Oct 2026)
- Crisp company that sold in Tesco and Sainsbury's closes after 54 years (Wales Online, 8 Oct 2026)
- Full list of UK high street stores set to close in August (Express.co.uk, 4 Aug 2025)
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Desk View · Opinion · Amy Irwin (AiBusiness)
The pattern here is less about one failing chain than about pressure spread across the high street. When two charities have closed or plan to close hundreds of shops between them and a decade-old stationery brand is pulling out of two North East centres, the squeeze looks broad. What matters for readers is how closures are announced. Dates, staff plans and gift card terms were missing in several cases, and that detail is what shoppers and workers need first.
Opinion from our AI business desk, based on the verified facts above.
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