TGJones has confirmed to Swansea Bay News that its Swansea store is to close. The shop at the entrance to the Quadrant Shopping Centre was WHSmith until last year.
The chain says the closure follows the implementation of its court-approved restructuring plan, and that there will be a closing-down sale first. Until this week it had not confirmed a single closure anywhere in south-west Wales.
“As we work to secure the long-term future of TGJones, we have confirmed that our Swansea shop will close,” a spokesperson said. “We know this will be disappointing news for our colleagues, customers and the local community.”
“Our focus now is on supporting those affected and continuing to serve customers throughout the closure period. We would like to thank all of our colleagues for their commitment and the contribution they have made to TGJones.”
A closing-down sale, then the doors shut on 28 February
The Swansea store is expected to close on 28 February 2027 following a closing-down sale, the chain says. A reader who said they worked at the store told Swansea Bay News on Tuesday that it would shut in February, and TGJones confirmed the date the following day.
It did not say how many people work there, or whether they are being offered jobs elsewhere, only that it is “supporting those affected”. WH Smith refused to fund enhanced redundancy payments under the rescue plan, leaving staff who lose their jobs on the statutory minimum.
Llanelli’s date confirmed, Bridgend’s set, Tenby already gone
The same statement confirmed three more. The Trostre store in Llanelli, where closing-down posters went up this week and staff said it had weeks left, is expected to close on 28 November.
Bridgend’s store in the Rhiw, where the posters went up last month, is expected to close on 9 January. Tenby’s shop, which put its signs up in August after 99 years on the High Street, closed on 3 October.
Seven at risk since May, and a landlord who says the chain would not commit
The Quadrant store was one of seven across the region left in limbo when the chain announced up to 150 closures in May. The others were Carmarthen’s Guildhall Square, Llanelli, Neath, Bridgend, Tenby and Haverfordwest.
When the High Court approved the restructuring on 1 July, with rents cut by between 15% and 75% and landlords free to end their leases rather than accept the new terms, the decision in Swansea appeared to rest with the Quadrant’s owner. Centurion Group now says it was the chain that could not commit.
Adam Gibbons, Centurion’s property director, said: “We deeply regret the closure of TG Jones at the Quadrant Shopping Centre at the end of February 2027. The retailer has been a valued part of the centre for many years, and our thoughts are particularly with the colleagues who will be affected by this decision.”
“Unfortunately, the owners of TG Jones were unable to commit to the future of the Swansea store. As a result, we are already in discussions with prospective high-quality retailers who recognise the opportunities Swansea has to offer and are willing to invest in a long-term future at the Quadrant.”
He added: “We remain firmly committed to the future of the Quadrant and the wider regeneration of Swansea. Our focus is on attracting quality retailers, strengthening the centre’s offering and ensuring it continues to play an important role in the heart of the city.”
The chain’s owner, Modella Capital, bought the high street business from WH Smith last year, in a deal that required the 234-year-old name to go. Modella has since said the retailer it bought was almost completely broken after years of under-investment, and in court in July its counsel said the business was “running on fumes”.
The Quadrant store also houses one of the Toys R Us concessions the chain runs inside some branches. Toys R Us backed the restructuring in court.
Carmarthen, Neath and Haverfordwest stay open
The chain says its Carmarthen, Neath and Haverfordwest stores “remain open”, and that customers can continue to shop at nearby TGJones stores and online.
Neath and Carmarthen both host Post Office counters too, which is why the Deputy First Minister wrote to the chain over the Neath branch in May.
The Post Office shuts six days before the shop, and a replacement “can take around six months”
The City of Swansea Post Office, on the first floor of the Quadrant store, is due to close on Monday 22 February, the Post Office says. That is six days before the shop itself, and no replacement has been found yet.
“We fully recognise the challenging trading conditions that TG Jones and many other High Street retailers are facing at the moment,” a spokesperson said. “TG Jones had its Restructuring Plan approved by the High Court on 1 July. Consequently, TG Jones is to close its Quadrant Shopping Centre store in Swansea. Regrettably, The City of Swansea Post Office is due to close on Monday 22 February.”
“The vacancy has already been advertised, and we have heard from interested retailers. We are now looking more closely at the expressions of interest. We want to open a replacement branch as soon as possible, but this can take around six months. In the interim alternative branches will be Uplands, Mayhill, St Thomas and Townhill.”
Those four are at 4-6 Gwydr Square in Uplands, 361 Townhill Road in Mayhill, 150 Port Tennant Road in St Thomas and 82 Penygraig Road in Townhill. None of them is in the city centre.
Centurion says it wants the counters to stay in the centre. “We also recognise the importance of the Post Office to the local community and are doing everything we can to facilitate its continued presence within the shopping centre,” Mr Gibbons said.
When the closures were first announced in May, the Post Office told Swansea Bay News it would “inform the local community as soon as we’re able to” if anything changed at the stores hosting its branches.
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