THE only independent fruit and vegetable shop in Melksham is set to shut at the end of September.
Lovejoys Foodstore on the High Street say the closure is due to a combination of high parking charges, ASDA opening and higher fruit and vegetable prices due to the poor summer last year.
It means customer sales have dropped to such an extent that the independent retailer is unable to continue.
Annica Bowen from Lovejoys in a letter to Melksham News said, “Unfortunately we have decided not to carry on running Lovejoys with closure planned for the end of September. Fruit and vegetables are more expensive than normal and it makes it very hard to compete with supermarkets. This, combined with the car parking charges and ASDA have lowered our footfall.
“The people of Melksham have been most welcoming to me and I have enjoyed my time running the shop, I love meeting people and we would not be making this decision unless we felt it was really needed. We will continue to offer the same service through to the end and hope customers understand this decision – it has not been an easy one to make.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported the shop over the last few years and to the wonderful staff in the shop who work so hard.”