A MUCH-loved town centre store will bring its shutters down for the final time next week.
Fern & Ivy, a nursery specialising in and pots, located in , in the heart of the , is set to close its doors permanently on Saturday, April 26.
A sign in the window of the shop now reads: “Thank you so much for the last three and a half years.
“We've enjoyed being part of the community and meeting so many wonderful people along the way.
“Fern & Ivy will continue – it's just the – so please follow our social media accounts to join us in the of our journey.”
In March, owner Kate said on the retailer's page: “After three and a half years of running our lovely little shop in Cirencester, it's time for a change!
“At the end of April, we'll be closing our – but don't worry, this isn't goodbye, the end of a chapter, but not the end of the book!
“As many of you will know, this has not been any easy decision (or process!) but we don't need a physical store to continue being wonderful.
We'll still be here, bringing you the best plants through our website, subscription service (which will expand soon!) and our workshops, which will continue, but in a slightly different way, we are working on that!”
“I want to say a huge thank you to you, the incredible Fern & Ivy community, for supporting the shop over the years.”
It's important to remember that retailers often open and close stores for a variety of reasons, and these decisions don't necessarily reflect financial difficulties.
For instance, a retailer may choose to close a shop if there’s another nearby location that performs better, or they might relocate to a site with higher footfall, such as a busy park.
Alternatively, they may decide to shift their focus entirely to online operations.
Therefore, store closures alone are not always a reliable indicator of a business's financial .
Other shops leaving the high street
, one of Britain's oldest department stores, has after more than 140 years.
The company will shut its branch in Poole's Dolphin Centre on May 31.
The sale includes fashion, furniture, gifts and cosmetics, being sold for up to 70% off.
Beales chief executive Tony Brown blamed the “devastating impact” of the rise in and the higher for the store closure.
Meanwhile, high street fashion chain has as it scales back its UK footprint.
It is understood to be shutting nearly 100 stores – equivalent to around a quarter of its 364 shops.
Stores in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, St Austell, and Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf have launched closing down sales.
Reports suggest that the company has been forced to accelerate the pace of due to tax changes in the .
Meanwhile, due to excessive costs.
The gift shop became a local icon after it opened in the 1990s.
