Retailer closes, citing theft and rising costs

Bosses at Sale Lab say the Hanley store will close but host occasional pop-up events

A retailer that took on a former M&S department store building in Stoke-on-Trent has closed, citing theft and "limited visible policing" among the reasons.

Sale Lab in Hanley said it had trialled a number of different approaches to drive sales, but that none had been financially sustainable.

It said it planned to run occasional pop-up shops but had no plans to reopen the store.

A spokesperson for the retailer said ongoing staff challenges, product theft, rising wages and taxes and lack of visible policing were all to blame for the closure.

They said staff had little control over protecting stock and the store had run at a loss for "an extended period".

Five staff had been made redundant, but had agreed to support occasional pop-up events, the firm's spokesperson said.

"This decision has not been taken lightly, Hanley was our flagship store, and we are deeply disappointed it has not been able to thrive in the current retail climate," they said.

They added: "We remain incredibly grateful for the support we have received from the local community and hope to keep serving our customers through our online channels and future events."

Staffordshire Police has been approached for a comment.