Australian stationery and gifting chain Typo is pulling out of the UK after a decade, with all its stores and online operations set to close by early 2027.
The Cotton On-owned retailer, which sells stationery, homewares, cards and gifts, has blamed persistently high rents, rising operating costs and disappointing sales for its decision to abandon the British market.
Typo, which launched in the UK in 2016, has operated stores in some of the country’s biggest shopping centres, including London’s Westfield destinations, Bluewater and Sheffield’s Meadowhall.
However, the retailer has already begun reducing its estate, with its Newcastle Eldon Square store among the latest closures following a clearance sale.
The remaining shops will shut over the coming months, although exact closure dates have yet to be confirmed.
In a statement reported by Chronicle Live, Typo said it had made the decision after reviewing the future of its UK business.
It said the combination of high property and operating costs and weaker sales meant the business could no longer sustain its UK operations.
The retailer added that affected employees had been informed and that supporting its UK workforce through the closures was now a priority.
The decision brings an end to Typo’s decade-long attempt to establish itself in Britain, although the brand will continue trading in its other international markets.
Its departure comes as the UK’s stationery and gifting sector undergoes a particularly difficult period.
TG Jones, the former WHSmith high street business, is in the process of closing up to 150 stores under a court-approved restructuring designed to reduce its rent bill and keep the remaining chain trading.
The company, which was acquired by Modella Capital last year, has struggled with weak sales and rising costs since taking over WHSmith’s high street estate.
Its restructuring will leave a substantially smaller store network, with landlords across the business being asked to accept reduced rents.
Unlike TG Jones, which is attempting to salvage its UK operation through a smaller estate, Typo has decided to leave the market altogether rather than renegotiate its way to profitability.
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