Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

‘Soon we will be left with nothing’: Blow for Peterhead town centre as Shoe Zone to close

It comes amid a wave of store-closures across the UK - with branches in Inverness and Dundee about to share the same fate.

Shoe Zone Peterhead
The store has been a town centre fixture for many years. Image: Denny Andonova/DC Thomson.

Peterhead residents say they could be forced to travel all the way to Aberdeen for a pair of shoes – after the closure of the town’s biggest footwear store.

Shoe Zone is the latest business to cut its losses on the Blue Toon’s high street.

The bargain chain has been a prominent fixture at Drummers Corner for more than a decade, offering products for all ages.

But now, huge ‘closing down’ signs stretching across the shopfront have caused yet more concern for the “already dying town centre”.

Peterhead town centre has suffered several blows in the last two years. Image: Denny Andonova/DC Thomson.

It comes after several challenging years for Peterhead as business giants like M&Co and Brewdog decided to part with the town for good.

Ladieswear shop Dorothy Jacks also shut its doors recently after more than 35 years of trade on Chapel Street – leaving yet another hole on the struggling high street.

Dorothy Jacks used to offer a variety of smart and casual outfits before it shut. Image: Denny Andonova/DC Thomson.

Why is Shoe Zone closing?

The imminent closure of the Peterhead store is part of major restructure plans.

The outlet will share the same fate as its Inverness and Dundee counterparts that are also poised to close this year, along with another five in England.

Shoe Zone, which currently has 320 locations across the UK and employs roughly 2,500 people, shut 63 stores in 2022, and 13 in 2023.

The Inverness branch will also close in the months to come. Image: Alberto Lejarraga/DC Thomson.

The exact reason for the reshuffle hasn’t been specified.

However, there have been a number of new branches opening up, with upgraded stores offering customers more stock and a greater range of styles.

Whether this option would be on the table for Peterhead too, however, is unknown.

Image: Denny Andonova/DC Thomson.

When will the shop close?

The Blue Toon outlet will shut in June, with the exact date still to be announced.

Massive ‘closing down’ signs are now urging customers to rush in and buy in bulk.

Dozens of residents were seen coming in and out with bags this week as the retailer tries to clear out their stock.


Let us know what you think of the Shoe Zone closure in our comments section below.


How would this affect residents?

Peterhead residents shared their dismay with the P&J.

Local man Martin McGregor fears many will now be faced with an hour-long journey every time they are in need of a pair of shoes.

Begg Shoes and Bags will be Peterhead residents’ main option once Shoe Zone closes. Image: Denny Andonova/DC Thomson.

And he reckons this could be the “final nail in the coffin” for the town centre.

The 50-year-old said: “It’s just the latest blow to Peterhead – and a big one, too.

“I rarely come into the town centre now because there is nothing here any more.

“And now we might have to travel all the way to Aberdeen just to buy ourselves shoes.

“This is ridiculous to say the least.”

Big Manny's Pizza wants to open a new branch in Peterhead
The former Brewdog could become a Peterhead branch of Big Manny’s Pizza. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson.

Diane Tunks, who works at Barnardo’s charity shop down the road from Shoe Zone, echoed his words.

She added: “There are days that you won’t see any customers for hours and hours.

“It’s sad to see the town centre so quiet – and it will get even worse when the shoe shop shuts down.

“One by one, they are all chosing to go and soon we’ll be left with nothing.”

Conversation