Lisburn’s River Island branch earmarked for closure

Based at Bow Street, the fashion chain has been a fixture in the city centre for many years.

It has been named as one of the locations of the 33 stores it intends to close as part of a restructuring plan. A second Northern Ireland store in Bangor is also set to shut its doors.

The 33 stores, which are either losing money or generating a marginal profit, are scheduled to close before January 18, 2026.

These locations are "no longer where the group customers shop" and keeping them open "diverts resources which are needed for the group to return to profit quickly", the company said.

River Island is delaying the closures until January 2026 "to allow the group to benefit from peak trading during" and to "re-align the stock position" as products have already been planned for its existing portfolio.

Ben Lewis, CEO of River Island said: “River Island is a much-loved retailer, with a decades-long history on the British high street.

"However the well-documented migration of shoppers from the high street to online has left the business with a large portfolio of stores that is no longer aligned to our customers’ needs.

"The sharp rise in the cost of doing business over the last few years has only added to the financial burden.

"We have a clear strategy to transform the business to ensure its long-term viability. ”Recent improvements in our fashion offer and in-store shopping experience are already showing very positive results, but it is only with a restructuring plan that we will be able to see this strategy through and secure River Island’s future as a profitable retail business.

"We regret any job losses as a result of store closures, and we will try to keep these to a minimum.”

The restructuring plan will be put to creditors in August and needs to be sanctioned by the High Court.

If approved, River Island will receive new funding to support the strategy.

The retailer currently operates 230 stores across the UK, with 97 sites not impacted by the restructuring plan.