Woes of the high street
SIMON DUNN's chocolate shop in Wilmslow, Cheshire, was popular with his wealthy and upmarket clientele. Yet even he could not survive the downturn in the fortunes of high streets.
As he closed up for good he taped a note to his window itemising his spiralling costs and showing why he could no longer afford to run the shop. High rents, VAT and other taxes are the bane of many a small business.
The tragedy for Mr Dunn and many independent shops is that even though they are not short of loyal customers they still cannot afford the overheads.
"It's a national problem that is affecting every high street," he says.
The problem is that while everyone would agree that it is a shame, the costs of running a shop and the competition from the internet mean there is no solution in sight.