Business
Superdry Closes Bradford Store Due to Rising Costs and Fewer Shoppers
High street fashion retailer Superdry is closing its Bradford Broadway store today, marking another chapter in the ongoing challenges faced by traditional retail outlets. The store is hosting a significant clearance sale, offering customers substantial discounts as it prepares to shut its doors for good.
This closure is part of a trend affecting the UK’s high streets. In 2024, approximately 13,479 retail stores closed across the country, equating to an average of 37 closures per day—a 28% increase from the previous year. The Centre for Retail Research anticipates that this trend will continue, forecasting around 17,350 retail site closures in 2025.
Several factors contribute to these widespread closures:
- Shift to Online Shopping: Consumers are increasingly favouring online shopping platforms, reducing foot traffic in physical stores.
- Rising Operational Costs: Retailers are grappling with escalating expenses, including higher national insurance contributions and increased minimum wage requirements.
- Economic Pressures: High inflation rates have led to reduced consumer spending, impacting retailers’ revenues.
Other retailers, such as Beales and New Look, are also closing various branches due to financial pressures. Beales, for instance, will close its last remaining store in Poole on May 31, while New Look plans to shut nearly 100 outlets.
The decline in traditional high street shopping has resulted in significant job losses, with nearly 170,000 retail jobs lost in 2024 alone, marking the highest annual loss since 2020. Experts predict that 2025 may bring even worse outcomes for retail jobs and store closures.
Nigerians react as a user claims and shares that the price of rice in Nigeria is already reducing.
“Rice prices are finally dropping, minimum wage can buy a bag now. Step by step, we’re getting there. Nigeria will work in our lifetime.”
It can be noted that rice was sold at ₦85k to ₦90k, however, according to a market survey, the price of rice has dropped to ₦56k to ₦62k.
Nigerians now have a new choice when it comes to making calls and browsing the internet. A new telecom company called LEBARA has launched in the country with a new idea. Instead of the usual airtime system that most networks use, this company is offering something different, subscribers will now buy call minutes and data directly.
What makes this different is that customers will only pay for what they actually use. If you buy 100 minutes, those minutes are yours until you use them up. If you make a call that lasts only 30 seconds, the rest of your time remains, leaving you with 99 minutes and 30 seconds. Nothing is taken away without your knowledge, and every second is accounted for.
The company is rolling out its services with the new 0724 number series, and it already has connections with all the major networks in Nigeria. This means subscribers will be able to call friends, family, and business contacts across MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile and others without any problems. They have also been licensed as a Tier 5 Mobile Virtual Network Operator, which is the highest category approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Company officials explained that the goal is to give Nigerians more freedom, fairness, and transparency. For years, people have raised concerns about airtime being deducted too quickly or without clear explanation. By introducing a minutes-based model, the new operator wants to end that problem once and for all. Subscribers can clearly see what they paid for, how much they have used, and what is left.
Victim of child abuse pleads and urges American billionaire and businessman, Elon Musk, to halt the spread of a link that showcases her abuse on the social media platform, X.
The victim shared as she pleaded with Musk: “Hearing that my abuse — and the abuse of so many others — is still being circulated and commodified here is infuriating.”
The victim then expressed anger and disappointment that she is still reminded of her hurtful past and pleaded that Elon stop the link as he is the owner of the platform.
