Family business leaves Royston High Street after almost 30 years
Stationery Cupboard in Royston is leaving the High Street after 30 years. Picture: David Hatton - Credit: Archant
A family business which has been in Royston High Street for almost 30 years has closed its shop.
Stationery Cupboard announced last Monday that they would be closing the store, with the business moving online.
In a statement posted on the company’s Facebook page, they said: “After nearly 30 happy years, Stationery Cupboard is moving on from the High Street.
“We’ve loved being here and we’re sad to say goodbye. But, truth be told, we’re also really excited by the future.
“We’ll now be focusing on our online business, launching in April. Either way, you’ll find that what really matters hasn’t changed at all.
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“We remain as dedicated as we’ve always been to providing a great local service, a wide range of products and expert advice.”
In a second statement posted last Wednesday, the reason behind the closure was explained.
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“It was a very difficult decision but one we had to make,” they said.
“We have two customer groups, shop and commercial. Like many high street businesses, we have seen sales and profit reduce sharply from our shop customers.
“Supporting this decline is no longer viable. In contrast, our commercial customers continue to deliver growth.”
Campaigner Clive Porter is set to hold an emergency meeting for businesses in the town over the next two weeks amid a trend of shop closures.
Speaking to the Crow, he raised concerns about independent businesses being sold, saying: “Shoppers are complaining that they cannot purchase a wider choice of goods and are calling for more retail units, and less service outlets.
“They cite not only both the town and district councils for the deprivation of the town centre, but also the government policies surrounding planning.
“The government is pursuing its policies of assisting landlords to make more money by turning retail and storage space into flat accommodation. We have already witnessed two thriving Royston businesses being sacrificed to this end, Mello’s Coffee House in the Angel Pavement and, more recently, the John Street ladies’ store, Occasions for Less.
“Town centres need to be put on to a level playing field with the internet giants.We will lobby the councils and MPs until they start to listen. Royston deserves better.”
