More Closures at Middleton Grange Raise Alarms Over Hartlepool’s Retail Future...
- teessidetoday
- Jul 21
- 3 min read
Both Clintons Cards & Holland & Barrett are set to depart Hartlepool's Middleton Grange Shopping Centre in yet another blow to the retail sector....
21st July 2025
The future of Hartlepool’s Middleton Grange Shopping Centre is once again looking increasingly uncertain, as two more well-known retailers—Clintons Cards and Holland & Barrett—prepare to shut their doors in the coming weeks, with the closures said to be the latest in a growing list of national brands exiting Hartlepool's town centre, raising serious questions about the long-term viability of the once-busy retail hub.
Holland & Barrett, the popular health food and supplements chain, is pulling out of Hartlepool's Middleton Grange amid a sweeping national downsizing strategy. The retailer is set to close more than 1,600 stores across the UK, with many of the closures resulting from the company’s decision not to renew leases on underperforming stores.
Both announcements from the stores comes just weeks after fashion retailer River Island announced its leaving Hartlepool in January 2026 as it culls 33 stores across the country in. a restructuring effort to stave off potential administration.
Clintons Cards Follows Suit
Clintons Cards is also said to be exiting Middleton Grange in Hartlepool as part of a broader cull that saw the company close 30 stores last year, eliminating 300 jobs in the process. The Hartlepool branch has begun a closing down sale, marking the end of an era for a brand that has had a high street presence in the UK since 1968.
Despite reporting a pre-tax profit of £8 million for the financial year ending 29 June 2024—a dramatic turnaround from the £5.3 million loss the previous year—Clintons says rising costs, particularly from the Labour Governments tax increases and minimum wage hikes, has made some stores financially unviable.
Since Pillarbox Designs acquired the company in March 2024, Clintons has continued to trim its estate, now down to just around 170 stores from a historic high of over 1,000 locations. In a recent statement, the company said:
“The high street continues to be unpredictable and the company is seeing reduced footfall in the stores year on year. The company continues to monitor the performance of the existing estate and to close the poor performing stores, which, whilst impacting on turnover, should improve profitability moving forwards.”
A Grim Outlook for Middleton Grange
The loss of two national chains in quick succession highlights a broader issue, with Middleton Grange Shopping Centre struggling to attract and retain tenants.
With retail giants pulling out and footfall falling year after year, Hartlepool's Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, which was acquired by the Hartlepool Development Corporation back in 2024 risks becoming a shell of its former self unless urgent intervention is taken.
Local residents and businesses are said to be voicing concerns over the centre’s long-term survival. With other major retailers rumoured to be considering leaving or downsizing later this year with Hartlepool's Middleton Grange soon facing a potential tipping point.
Critics claim the closures of both Clintons Cards and Holland & Barrett are not isolated incident & are part of a larger, troubling pattern. The decline of traditional retail, combined with online competition, escalating overheads, and a lack of investment going forward in Hartlepool's town centre regeneration, is forcing even profitable companies to rethink their bricks-and-mortar presence on the high street, with Hartlepool's town centre regeneration seemingly hinging on there being enough retail providers being left to drive up the local economy, which in Hartlepool appears visibly stalled & some locals claiming the emergence of several retail parks in the town offering free parking has left Middleton Grange looking increasingly irrelevant, as shoppers simply go elsewhere !
