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‘The best shop in the world’ – Beloved outdoor retailer to shut site in weeks as it launches huge closing down sale

A BELOVED outdoor retailer is set to shut one of its stores in weeks as it launches a “huge” closing down sale.

Craigdon Mountain Sports will shutter its branch in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, at the end of March.

Craigdon Mountain Sports Inverurie storefront.
GOOGLE
Craigdon Mountain Sports is closing its Inverurie branch in weeks[/caption]

A Facebook post by the business, which operates one other store in Aberdeen, confirmed the closure.

It added: “We’re so grateful for the incredible support from the local community over the years, and we want to thank our amazing team and all the outdoor enthusiasts who made this store so special.”

Craigdon Mountain Sports said “many” of the Inverurie store staff will be transferred to its Aberdeen site and its website remains operational.

Stock has also been reduced in a huge closing down sale.

But shoppers have still be left distraught after finding out the branch, which sells footwear, snow gear, bags and more, will close its doors for good in a matter of weeks.

Posting on Facebook, one said: “Wow! what a shock! The best shop in the world, the best staff in the world!

“Such a shame to hear, the world is coming to an end, been in my life since I can remember, sad, sad, sad.”

Another commented: “Absolutely gutted to hear this – a real loss for Inverurie as well as the Craigdon brand.”

A third saddened customer added: “So sad to hear this news. Best outdoor shop with the best staff ever.

“We’ve been going for years and all our family adventures have been kitted out here.”

And a fourth commented: “So sorry to hear this, a great loss for Inverurie and the surrounding area.”

The Craigdon Mountain Sports closure comes after a host of other retailers shut up shop in Aberdeenshire.

Superdry is closing its store at the Union Square Shopping Centre in Aberdeen, today, after launching a 30% off sale.

Popular fashion chain Fat Face shuttered its store inside the same shopping centre on January 25.

Meanwhile, American retailer Hollister is set to shut its only store in Aberdeen at the end of the month.

Stores close sites for a variety of reasons including that a particular site is not performing or that a lease is coming to an end.

Closures are not always an indication that a brand is struggling.

HIGH STREET STRUGGLES

The high street has struggled in recent years as shoppers increasingly head online.

The most recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows online retail sales increased from 5% of all retail sales in 2008 to 27% in 2022.

Shoppers have also been feeling the pinch in recent years following surging inflation which has dented their budgets.

The Centre for Retail Research said in 2024 alone more than 13,000 shops closed across the UK.

Some outdoor retailers are closing branches across the UK, including Trespass and Mountain Warehouse, which has shut a string of shops across the UK in recent years.

But it’s not been bad news by all means.

In August, Mountain Warehouse said it wanted to open 50 new stores following a surge in demand for outdoor clothing.

This came after the brand opened 20 new stores at the start of 2024 following pre-tax profits of £26.2million over the financial year.

Why are retailers closing shops?

EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.

The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.

In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.

Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open.

The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.

At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.

In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.

The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.

Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.

Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.

In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few.

What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.

They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.

The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.

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‘I still stare at it in my garage’ – Rory McIlroy reveals his favourite ever club but admits it’s ‘probably illegal now’

RORY MCILROY reckons he wouldn’t be able to use his favourite ever club these days, claiming it’s “probably illegal now”.

McIlroy, 35, has worked his way into contention at the Genesis Invitational this week after going five under on Friday to put him just three shots off the lead this weekend.

Rory McIlroy at a press conference.
X
Rory McIlroy has revealed his favourite ever club[/caption]

But the world number three might think he could leading the pack himself had he been able to bring his favourite old club with him from his garage.

Speaking to the media at Torrey Pines, McIlroy was quizzed on what his favourite club of all times was – harking back to a TaylorMade M2 driver he used to use back in 2017.

He said: “Favourite club of all time? Wow. Probably the M2 driver.

“I still stare at it in my garage sometimes, like, ‘I wish I could still use you sometimes’.

“But it’s probably illegal at this point”.

McIlroy, who currently uses TaylorMade’s new Qi10 driver, kept the M2 big stick in his bag for a while in 2017 after he ended his time using Nike clubs.

The club is likely “illegal” now due to wear on the club face causing the driver to send the ball flying so far that it wouldn’t pass PGA Tour testing.

Of course, there’s also the caveat that McIlroy is tied down to a £120MILLION sponsorship deal with TaylorMade, meaning it’s unlikely they would let him promote a six-year-old driver when they have new tech they want to push to the market.

Rory McIlroy playing golf.
McIlroy used the TaylorMade M2 driver in 2017
Getty Images - Getty
Rory McIlroy teeing off.
AP
The Ryder Cup hero now uses the TaylorMade Qi10[/caption]

BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS

McIlroy has earned himself some of golf‘s most lucrative sponsorship deals over the years.

On top of his mega TaylorMade contract, the four-time major winner reportedly agreed a 10-year deal worth around £159MILLION with Nike in 2017.

Other sponsorships with the likes of Omega, Workday and Optum help keep McIlroy’s pockets lined.

Not to mention that his sensational skills on the course earned him almost £17million in prize money alone in 2024.

He’ll be hoping to add some more cash to his career earning this weekend as he competes for the £3.2m on offer for the winner of Genesis Invitational.

McIlroy sits three shots off leader Davis Thompson and has to compete with the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg this weekend with plenty of talented players still in the mix.

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I won my husband in a TikTok competition – we only knew each other a week before we got married, our parents were fuming

A WOMAN has revealed that she won her husband in a TikTok competition and now, they live happily together in an ambulance.

Danielle first came across her now-husband Gunnar after she stumbled upon his quest to marry a stranger from social media.

Couple embracing in front of a van.
YouTube/Truly
A content creator has revealed that she won her husband in a TikTok competition[/caption]
Couple on a beach.
Instagram/@danielleandgunnar
After just one week of knowing one another, Danielle and Gunnar got married[/caption]
Bride and groom kissing at their wedding.
Whilst they are still together, they have often found themselves subject to hate from strangers online
TikTok/@danielleandgunnar
Couple in pink hoodies sitting on the hood of a pink vehicle.
Instagram/@danielleandgunnar
Trolls believed that Danielle would steal Gunnar’s kidneys[/caption]

Excited by the bizarre idea, the brunette beauty submitted a video application and within a few weeks the pair exchanged vows.

Speaking to Truly, on an episode of Love Don’t Judge, Gunnar explained: “I really enjoyed connecting with people and having fun, unique experiences. So I kind of combined these two things of having fun and trying to get attention, and that led to me wanting to marry a stranger.

“I posted a video saying I wanted to marry a complete stranger.

“A bunch of people responded and Danielle just happened to be the one.”

To this, Danielle beamed: “I won my husband in a competition.

“This was made for me because I never wanted to get married in a traditional way.”

After knowing each other for just one week, the content creators said I Do in Las Vegas.

The pair planned to divorce a week after the ceremony, but there was a hitch to their plan.

Gunnar explained: “After more research we discovered we had to be in our home state together. And it cost more money than we expected. 

“We decided not to go through with the divorce because we were having so much fun together.”  

Following this, Danielle added: “We never thought that we would fall in love.” But, as time went on, the couple did just that. 

Now, the couple live in Danielle’s ambulance, which she bought from Facebook Marketplace for $6,400 [£5,140]. 

Average cost of a wedding in 2025

Recent research by Hodge reveals the dream of getting married can come with a hefty price tag, reaching more than £20,000.  

  • Food – £6,000
  • Honeymoon – £4,329
  • Wedding outfits – £3,500
  • Entertainment – £2,000
  • Engagement ring – £1,948
  • Flowers – £1,110
  • Wedding ring – £1,000
  • Wedding transport – £700

Total = £20,587

Despite now being an official couple, Danielle and Gunnar have endured a whole heap of judgement because of their relationship. 

Danielle chimed in: “I would say the most difficult reaction that I received was probably from my parents

“Funny enough, when Gunnar was coming to meet them for the first time, my dad came upstairs with a shotgun.”

When we do get hate, it doesn’t rub us the wrong way. We’re so secure in what we’re doing

Gunnar

Whilst Danielle’s dad had his reservations, her mother was also convinced that her daughter would be “murdered” by her stranger husband. 

Danielle’s mum Mary shared: “I kept quiet because you don’t wanna hear my input. 

“I was afraid he was gonna take your money and your ambulance.”

Who usually does a speech at a wedding?

According to the Alt Wedding website, the traditional list for wedding toasts or a speech is:

1. The father of the bride

2. The groom

3. The best man

4. And any other toasts

However, they added on their site: “But not every couple or family structure will fit into that tradition. It’s also becoming way more popular for the maid of honour or bridesmaids to do a speech, as well as the bride!

“(Something that we LOVE).”

And not only have trolls accused the pair of tying the knot ‘for fame’, but others initially warned Gunnar and said: “Don’t do it! She’s gonna steal your kidneys”. 

But to this, Gunnar admitted: “When we do get hate, it doesn’t rub us the wrong way. We’re so secure in what we’re doing.”

Social media users react

YouTube users were left open-mouthed by Gunnar and Danielle’s relationship – and were thrilled to see that they are still together, which many eagerly flocked to the comments to express. 

One person said: “This is actually something that made my day. How cute.”

They both seem to be happy. Let’s hope it stays that way

YouTube user

Another added: “They are TRULY made for each other. I’m happy for them.” 

A third commented: “They both seem to have great personalities. They both seem to be happy. Let’s hope it stays that way.” 

Whilst someone else penned: “I’m glad they’re still together.” 

Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club

A couple sitting together.
YouTube/Truly
Danielle’s parents also had their reservations[/caption]

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The biggest live soap blunders ever – from ‘How’s Adam?’ to Max Branning’s retching

FOR soap stars and bosses, live episodes are the ultimate gamble.

With a brand new live episode of EastEnders just days away from hitting screens, soap fans will no doubt be reminiscing on some of the show’s most epic live moments from the past.

EastEnders cast in front of a burning pub.
BBC
The BBC has another live episode on the way[/caption]

In 2010, it aired an hour-long live special to mark the show’s 25th anniversary and saw Bradley Branning fall from the Queen Vic roof.

Just five years later, the infamous Who Killed Lucy Beale? plot concluded during a week of special live episodes.

Each episode featured live inserts as well as a fully live episode to mark the end of the long-running story and the programme’s 30th anniversary.

The hit BBC One soap opera has famously broadcast two live episodes in its history.

Coronation Street has also been live before in 2000, 2015 but most famously in 2010 for its Tram Crash episodes.

But it’s fair to say that not everything went quite to plan as the soaps went live.

Whilst EastEnders will be hoping to avoid any huge blunders this time around, here are just some of the greatest slip-ups from soaps live outings.

How’s Adam?

Screenshot of a woman in a red jacket looking displeased.
BBC
Jo Joyner made an epic live error when she referred to Ian Beale’s actor’s name[/caption]

Arguably the biggest, and most famous, live error in soap of all time came from seasoned actress Jo Joyner.

Jo made a bombshell guest appearance as Tanya Branning during the live episode despite having quit the show two years earlier.

However, it seemed that with her time away from Albert Square, she’d forgotten that she was actually in character as Tanya when catching up with her former soap pals.

In the episode, Jo mistakenly referred to one of her co-stars by his real name as opposed to his on-screen moniker.

In reference to Adam Woodyatt‘s character Ian Beale, Jo got the names mixed up during a conversation with Laurie Brett’s Jane Beale.

Meaning to ask how Ian was doing in the months following his daughter’s death, she accidentally said: “How’s Adam?”

Within a second, Jo quickly realised what she had done as a painful expression came over her face with co-star Laurie also being left in surprise at the slip-up.

Jo later admitted she had been left ‘haunted’ by the mishap and was inundated with social media messages regarding the moment in the following days.

She told RadioTimes: “There is absolutely no explanation as to how or why that happened. We couldn’t have known it better.

“We go over and over this…We needed to have huge rehearsals, so we were well rehearsed. I’d never got it wrong. Obviously, I thought I’d wait until there were nine million people watching.

 “It was like an out of body experience, like a car crash really.

“Literally, as I’m saying ‘Adam’ I can hear myself tailing off, because I came out of my head and went, ‘well there’s no getting out of that.'”

Branning Blunder

Screenshot of a man bending over near a red car, while a man in a suit and police officers look on.
BBC
Jake Wood was caught attempting to retch live on-air[/caption]

Blunders appear to keep rolling in the Branning family with Max, played by actor Jake Wood, also getting caught up in a rather embarrassing slip-up.

In 2010, Max was left horrified after watching his son plunge from the roof to the ground and die on the floor.

In the scenes, the script revealed that Max was supposed to be sick after witnessing his child’s death.

During the live recording, Jake and bosses quickly realised there would be no time for him to put the liquid resembling sick in his mouth.

In response, Jake opted to stick his fingers down his throat to cause a retching sound and simulate the action of being sick.

Unfortunately, the camera spun to Jake at this very moment and as a result, viewers witnessed him with his fingers in his mouth pretending to be sick mere seconds after his son’s death.

Explaining the scenario on This Morning after the episode, Jake said: “Well it was in the script that Max saw Bradley lying dead and was sick, so at some point we talked about putting the liquid in my mouth then realised we’d have no time to do that.

“But to me [what I did] felt very real, if you were going to be sick anyway that you might do that, to get it all out.”

Hard hat problem

A woman tending to an injured man.
ITV
Sally Dynevor’s character was told she must wear a hard hat to enter a wreckage but failed to do so[/caption]

Coronation Street’s 2010 live tram crash episode was hailed as a triumph – but even a near-perfect production had its faults.

One glaring mistake involved Sally Dynevor’s character, Sally Webster, who was told she must wear a hard hat to enter the wreckage and say goodbye to dying Molly Dobbs (Vicky Binns).

But in an awkward continuity fail, Sally completely ignored the instruction and never actually put a hard hat on.

Instead, she wandered into the dangerous scene, helmet-free, leaving fans baffled.

Speech Stumble

Screenshot of two men in suits talking at night.
BBC
Jack Branning got his words in a muddle on the show[/caption]

There was Tanya, then Max… and now Jack.

Scott Maslen’s character is the third Branning to have messed up live on air.

In the scenes, Scott could not get his words out as he mumbled and re-started his sentence about “having a motive” a number of times.

Whilst tensions were supposed to be high, it made for awkward viewing when Jack just could not get it right.

Accidentally calling the police, the public, Jack said: “Bradley didn’t tell the public.”

He then restarted to say: “Bradley didn’t tell the police.”

The Wrong Name

Screenshot of a woman wearing a purple jacket and a feathered hat.
BBC
Peggy thought Janine was called June during the 2010 episode[/caption]

Dame Barbara Windsor made a minor slip-up in 2010 when she accidentally called Charlie Brooks‘ character by the wrong name.

Janine Butcher is one of Walford’s biggest soap villains but her name caused a muddle for Babs’ Peggy during a tense scene during the first ever live show.

In error, Peggy accidentally called Janine, “June”.

In the midst of a row with her step-daughter, Peggy said: “Yeah, you keep on June with those silly stories of yours.”

Unintentional shoplifting

Two people having a conversation.
BBC
Samantha Womack confessed that she forgot to pay for a product when her character Ronnie went into the mart[/caption]

Samantha Womack, who played Ronnie Mitchell, is one of the soap’s most loved actresses but even she fell victim to the live episode curse.

Her live mishap almost went unnoticed – until she admitted it herself.

During a supermarket scene, Ronnie was supposed to walk in, pick up a paint stripper, and leave after paying.

But in an awkward blunder, Samantha forgot to pay for the goods and walked out of the shop with the money still in her hand.

It hilariously made it look like she’d just brazenly shoplifted on live TV.

Though most viewers didn’t catch it at the time, Samantha later confessed: “I totally forgot that part of the script! I just walked straight out still holding the money.”

EastEnders' 40th anniversary cameos so far

With the 40th anniversary of EastEnders coming up, fans are looking forward to some more incredible cameos from iconic faces of Walford's past. But who have we had so far?

Tracy-Ann Oberman – Oberman returned as Chrissie Watts, a character she last played nearly two decades ago.

Paul Bradley – Bradley returned as Nigel Bates, a character he last played over 25 years ago.

Micheal French – French returned as David Wicks, a character he last played two decades ago.

Patsy Palmer – Palmer returned as Bianca Jackson, a character she last played in 2019.

Coming up this year…

Ross Kemp – Kemp will reprise his role as Grant Mitchell, a character he first played in 1990. The BBC has described Kemp’s storyline as “explosive”. Kemp said it was an “absolute honour” to return to the show.

Other aspects of the 40th anniversary celebration include: A wedding between fan favorites, A huge explosion at the Queen Vic, and A live interactive episode.

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