Arts and crafts retail chain Hobbycraft fuels Brits’ passions and hobbies up and down the land, but soon some UK hobbyists might have to source crafty goods elsewhere – Hobbycraft has announced that the brand is shutting at least nine branches.
Founded in 1995, Hobbycraft currently has over 100 stores in the UK and is Britain’s largest arts and crafts retailer. The upcoming closures are part of an effort to restructure the company, and they could result in up to 126 job losses.
Worried you might be losing your local supply shop for knitting, baking, art and more? Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Hobbycraft closures.
RECOMMENDED: Full list of UK high street closures confirmed in 2025, including Morrisons, WH Smith, Homebase, New Look and more.
Which Hobbycraft stores are closing and when?
The stores will all close by mid-July – here are the ones slated to shut.
- Bagshot, Surrey
- Basildon, Essex
- Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
- Bristol, Imperial Retail Park
- Canterbury, Kent
- Cirencester, Gloucestershire
- Dunstable, Bedfordshire
- Epping Forest, Essex
- Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex
Are more stores at risk of closure?
There are, but we don’t yet know which ones. Hobbycraft has said the future of ‘a number of other stores’ is still being reviewed. We’ll update this page when we know more.
How many jobs could be lost?
The company has said that between 72 and 126 jobs could be lost.
Why are these stores closing?
The above nine stores are closing as part of a restructure intended to secure the futures of other Hobbycraft branches.
Hobbycraft chief executive officer Alex Wilson said: ‘Very sadly, the strength of our offering has not made us immune from the challenges faced by the retail sector in recent years.
‘Closing stores is always a last resort and this has been an extremely difficult decision.
‘Making these changes is sadly a necessary action to enable us to keep our doors open to crafters up and down the country.’
Who owns Hobbycraft?
The chain has been owned by private equity firm Modella Capital since August 2024. Modella is also currently in the process of buying WH Smith’s high-street outlets and changing the shops’ name to ‘TGJones’. Find all the upcoming WH Smith closures here.
Modella Capital also owns The Original Factory Shop.
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