AN English city’s oldest shop is set to pull the shutters down for the final time in weeks.
WH Mogford & Son, a hardware shop in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, has been serving the community since the 1860s.
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However, the shop will close permanently this September.
Owner Paul Gillam, who has worked there for 30 years, said soaring costs have made it impossible to keep the business running.
In a post on Facebook, he said: “After 30 years in the business and knowing it’s long history, sadly I have come to a very difficult decision to close the business permanently by the end of September 2025.
“I have come to this decision due to the continuing decline in customer numbers, the increasing costs of stock, staffing, bank and utility charges and the desperate state of repair of the rented premises.
“I would like to thank the many local customers who have support us over the years.”
Reacting to the news, one shopper said: “Very sorry to hear this. Have known the shop my entire life.”
Another added: “A huge loss to the village, you will be very much missed.
“My sons call your shop ‘the shop that sells everything.”
A third said: “That’s terrible loss to the village.”
It comes as shops across the country struggle to survive in the changing consumer landscape.
Both chain stores and independents have closed at an alarming rate, citing decreased footfall and rising prices as the reason behind the closures.
Retail sector struggles
The retail sector has struggled in recent years because of the rise of online shopping, lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic and decreased customer spending.
Earlier this summer, the owners of Poundland confirmed they would shut 68 stores with 82 more at risk.
Both Hobbycraft and The Original Factory Shop are also shutting branches as part of restructuring efforts.
Higher inflation since 2022 has hit shoppers’ budgets while businesses have struggled with higher wage, tax and energy costs.
The Centre for Retail Research has described the sector as going through a “permacrisis” since the 2008 financial crash.
Figures from the Centre also show 34 retail companies operating multiple stores stopped trading in 2024, leading to the closure of 7,537 shops.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
