TO Williams shuts Shropshire branches

A Shropshire company which first started trading in the 1930s has closed all its branches, with more than 60 people thought to have lost their jobs.

TO Williams, which specialised in fine foods and was established in Wem in 1935, ceased trading on Saturday after holding a closing down sale, according to senior figures in the town.

No-one from TO Williams was available to comment.

From its early days as a small grocery shop in Cheshire, the business had expanded to include shops in Whitchurch, Shawbury, Wem and Market Drayton.

All its branches in Shropshire have now shut, with closing-down sale notices and personal messages to customers displayed on the shop fronts.

The company's website said it employed more than 60 members of staff. It had been managed from the central bakery in Wem, where founder Thomas Owen Will-iams opened his first Shropshire premises in 1935.

Andy Brown, chairman of Market Drayton chamber of trade, said: "They employed a lot of local people. I'm afraid it is a sign of the times and fear we may see more of this type of thing."

Peggy Carson, of Wem Town Council, said she was saddened, adding: "It's yet another blow to the high street."

Wem town councillor Mandy Meakin said: "They have been in Wem for two or three generations.

A note on the Market Drayton branch said: "Lynne, Sue, Mandy and Marg would like to say thank you and goodbye to all our customers over the past years."