Famous artisan sweet shop with 47 locations across UK announces sudden closure in huge blow to tourist hotspot

A POPULAR sweet shop has announced the closure of one of its stores in a seaside town, in a huge blow to the high street.

The shop, which has 47 stores across the UK, has said it has no plans to reopen its doors in the tourist hotspot.

Roly's Fudge Pantry closed its doors for good in Worthing, West last month, with the store, on Montague Street, now empty.

The sweet shop had been open for three years and occupied the space previously inhabited by Thorntons, which permanently closed all of its UK high street stores in March 2021.

A spokesperson for Roly's said: “We are saddened to announce the closure of Roly's Fudge Pantry in Worthing.

“We are very grateful for the support and loyalty of the local community over the years.

“We have no immediate plans to reopen in Worthing.

“The owners of this pantry look for new locations but in the meantime continue to run their fudge pantries in nearbyArundelinWest Sussexand further afield in Lymington and Lyndhurst.“

Roly's Fudge originated in Devon 35 years ago, and now has 47 independently run-family fudge pantries across the UK.

Every shop uses traditional to hand-make fudge fresh every day, in view of it's customers.

The closure will no doubt come as a blow to the people of Worthing, and the millions of visitors that flock to the seaside town each year.

And Roly's isn't the only store to close its doors in recently.

In another blow to the high street, a popular baby clothes store will soon be waving goodbye to customers in Chichester.

The Jojo Maman Bebe site will be shut down imminently – although no reason or exact date have been given.

A spokesperson said: “Unfortunately we are due to close our Chichester store, we are dedicated to supporting our employees through this transition and will provide assistance and resources to those affected.

“JoJo remains dedicated in our mission to deliver exceptional products and services to all of our customers, and we will value this with every decision that we make.

“Our focus will be to continue providing high-quality services, strengthening our remaining stores and expanding our omni-channel capabilities to meet the demands of our customers.”;;

This was announced just weeks after the retailer closed down another store in Cardiff.

The move comes as other retailers, both independent and industry giants, continue to struggle.

Elsewhere, devastated shoppers said their farewells

Family-run Little N's Baby Boutique sadly announced they will be shuttering their site in Dartford,Kent, in just days.

Dozens of shops are set to close across the country before the end of the month in the latest blow to UK high streets.

Just a few months in to 2025 and it's already proving to be another

Rising living costs – which mean shoppers have less cash to burn – and an increase in online shopping has batteredin recent years.