Sadness as last fruit and veg shop in Whitchurch shuts down
The last greengrocers in a Shropshire town has closed down with the loss of four jobs.
Chesters Choice in Bridgewater Street, Whitchurch, opened for its last day of trading on Friday. Owner of the fruit and vegetable store, Paul Chesters, said the economic downturn was partly to blame. He said: "We are not moving anywhere else. It is probably because of the economic situation."
Mr Chesters added that he had employed four women who had worked there part-time.
The store was originally in a unit in the White Lion Meadow car park before moving to the site in Bridgewater Street about four years ago.
The mayor of Whitchurch, Councillor Peggy Mullock, said the closure was a blow for the town.
Councillor Mullock said: "It is very sad when we lose one of our independent shops, especially as this is our last greengrocers in the town.
"Job losses are never good and I feel for the four employees there.
"Paul is well known in the town and we feel for him and wish him all the best for the future."
Mr Chesters also ran a fruit and vegetable store of the same name in Wem until it closed last year.
In the middle of the last decade Chesters Choice opened in Leek Street in Wem where it operated for five or six years before moving to the high street for another two-and-a-half years. But the business pulled out of the town in 2011.
Wem town councillor and owner of The Treacle Mine in the town's High Street, John Murray, recalled: "He was a very popular greengrocer and he was sadly missed when he left Wem. He was a credit to his trade."
