GAMERS in Bristol are crushed as the city’s beloved gaming store shuts its doors for the second time in a year – and this time, it’s game over for good.
Geek Retreat Bristol manager, Liam, shared on social media the “tough decision” to close the hub for card fans, Pokémon enthusiasts and gamers looking to connect.
Liam explained he was closing down Geek Retreat Bristol to focus on the Geek Retreat Newport store, which he also manages.
He wrote: “After a lot of thought, I’ve made the tough decision to close the Bristol store.
“When I took on both Bristol and Newport, I genuinely believed I could give both sites the time and attention they deserved – even with 30 miles between them.
“But life changes, and trying to manage both stores across two cities while handling personal things has become too much to do well.
“This isn’t a reflection on Geek Retreat or the brilliant communities we’ve built – it’s a reflection on what I can realistically manage right now.
“I believe in the Geek Retreat model and what it brings to local communities, which is why I’ll be focusing all my energy on making Newport the very best it can be.
“To everyone who supported Bristol – thank you. Your community spirit meant everything, and I’m hopeful we’ll be back in the city in a new format very soon.”
Liam added: “In the meantime, your nearest Geek Retreat stores are in Cardiff and Newport, both home to friendly teams and welcoming communities.
“You can spend your £’s at either store, or with selected retailers through the Geek Retreat app.”
Gamers took to Facebook to express their disappointment.
“Totally understandable. I will miss our chats,” wrote one person.
“Always sad to see a community space close up in Bris, big love from the Hoard café team and best of luck with your other space,” one user said.
Another commented: “Hire me I’ll manage the store for you.”
Both Geek Retreat Bristol and Greek Retreat Newport first opened their doors in 2022 as part of the UK-wide chain of franchised shops and board game cafés.
The Bristol store’s closure comes just a year after it temporarily shut down when the previous managers left.
It was given a second life last July when manager Liam took the reins.
But the Bristol shop is not the only Geek Retreat location to close its doors – dozens across the UK have shut down in the past few years, including in Leeds, Liverpool and London.
Geek Retreat opened its first store in Glasgow in 2013 and grew to as many as 57 outlets in 2022.
But that number has since dropped to just 21, according to the Geek Retreat UK website.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April 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.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
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