‘Deeply upsetting’: Shoppers react as two major Sheffield city centre stores announce closure

The Star previously reported on the planned closures in December last year, but a date has now officially been announced. Weekday and Monki, both owned by H&M Group, will soon disappear from Pinstone Street.

Monki will cease operations across the UK entirely, with all seven of its stores set to close in 2025.

The Pinstone Street branch opened in 2019 alongside Weekday as part of Sheffield City Council’s Heart of the City II regeneration scheme.

Both brands have attracted a loyal following, especially among younger shoppers. Monki markets itself as a fashion label “guided by contemporary youth culture,” offering clothing that “encourages individuality.”

Weekday will shut its Sheffield store on June 8, a spokesperson for the brand confirmed.

Nadine Schmidt, from Weekday, said: “It is a natural part of our business at Weekday to evaluate locations and operations to ensure that we always have stores in the right location for our brand, a good customer base and the most relevant customer offer.”

The news of the closures has been met with dismay on the streets of Sheffield.

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Addy, a long-time customer, said: “I just heard about Weekday closing. I’m a bit surprised because I’ve been shopping there for a while. It came as quite a shock, no one was expecting it, and it’s deeply upsetting, I would say.”

He added: “People already find it hard to shop in the city centre - it’ll just drive more people online and fewer into town. There’s not a lot of shops here anyway.”

Bethany, another shopper, echoed that sentiment: “I’m currently wearing Weekday and I’m quite upset to hear they’re shutting down. I thought it was a very nice shop in the city centre. There’s not that many clothes shops around here, so it was great to have somewhere nice to browse.”

Evie said: “I think it’s a really good shop and I’m not sure why it’s shutting down because it always seemed quite busy.

“I think people are going to end up going to Meadowhall soon because there aren’t many shops left - except Primark and H&M.”

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A woman who asked not to be named said she often shops at Monki for her granddaughter but believes transport is part of the problem: “The bus only comes down from The Moor. It’s not easy to get to this part of town unless you’re already nearby.”

David Slater, a property investor based in Attercliffe, said more needs to be done to attract and retain footfall in the city centre.

“If we want retail to survive, we need to make the city more attractive for businesses to stay in. More street festivals and events could drive up footfall - just look at how busy and bustling the city was during the snooker.”

As Monki prepares to disappear from the British high street and Weekday winds down its store, concerns continue to grow over the future of retail in Sheffield’s city centre.

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