FANS of one beloved high street gift store are sad to see it go after owners announced the long serving store is set to shut.
The card and stationary seller has been a mainstay of the town centre for 40 years, but will close for the final time next month.
The Wishing Well in Folkestone, Kent, will shut after the building was sold at auction last week for £460,000, according to KentOnline.
The store announced the closure on social media writing: “Thank you to all our loyal customers who have supported the shop for the last 40 years.
“Call in and see us to stock up before we close - we look forward to seeing you!”
I was stunned to see a rare albino squirrel mating on my CCTV
The Wishing Well has now begun a half price sale as it looks to flog it inventory before shutting next month.
Fans of the store and Folkestone locals announced their sadness on social media.
One said: "Very sad news, lovely staff, great cards."
Another posted: "Ah no, it was only just yesterday I went past there and thought to myself that shop has been around for a long time. Another Folkestone icon on the way out."
While a third wrote: "Love wishing well, town is slowly going."
HIGH STREET WOES
Several major shops and chains are closing dozens of branches in 2024.
Some stores will be replaced or relocated while others will disappear from the high street forever.
Fellow card retailer Clintons is also set to close a number of branches, including those in Bournemouth and Kettering.
In August 2023, restructuring experts FRP Advisory and law firm Jones Day presented plans to save the business in an insolvency court.
They came up with a deal to save thousands of jobs and over one hundred UK stores.
Inside the biggest Wetherspoons in the world - and it's right on the beach
But it also involved waving goodbye to a selection of shops that were not earning enough money to keep.
Argos, Next, Jack Wills and Poundland have all all shut selected branches this year.
It comes as 6,000 retail outlets have brought down the shutters since 2018, according to the British Retail Consortium.
The trade association's chief executive Helen Dickinson OBE blamed the closures on "crippling" business rates and the impact of coronavirus lockdowns.
Energy costs have risen and more shoppers than ever are choosing to order online rather than head into stores.
This has left some retailers grappling with budgets and having no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
Several big retailers have fallen into administration in the past year, including Wilko, Paperchase, and most recently, The Body Shop and Ted Baker.
For the most part, supermarkets have braved the storm as they provide essential items like food and drink but other retailers have been less fortunate.
Boots announced it would be closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.
Wilko collapsed into administration last year after being hit hard by inflationary pressures, competition from rivals and supply chain challenges.
However, it's not all bad news for the high street, as several other retailers and hospitality venues have plans to expand.
Beer giant Heineken announced plans to invest £39million to help reopen 62 previously shuttered British pubs.
Aldi has announced that it will open 35 new UK stores.
The openings form part of Aldi's long-term target of 1,500 stores in the UK.
