Before you ask, we’re closing: Sign of the times at Shrewsbury Maplin store
Constant questions from concerned members of the public have become a little irritating for staff at a Shrewsbury shop that is due to close after its parent company went into administration.
It was announced in February that the Maplin chain, which has a store in Shoplatch, Shrewsbury, would be closing all its stores due to difficult trading conditions.
It had been hoped the company could be saved but talks with buyers failed to secure a sale.
Customers visiting the shop in Shrewsbury have been met with a sign on the counter which makes clear the employees' frustration with the situation. The light-hearted sign says store staff do not know when the shop is closing, they ‘know it is a shame’ and they don’t know how customers will cope without the shop.
A picture of the sign was snapped by Ian Hayward and it also suggests that the closure was due to competition from Amazon, the consequences of Brexit and ‘poor management’.
The Game concession, which was in the store, has already closed and customers are directed to Telford for their gaming purchases.
Maplin has more than 200 stores nationwide and 2,300 staff and opened its first shop in Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex in 1976. After changing hands several times, the chain has been owned by Rutland Partners since 2014.
Potential buyers had included Edinburgh Woollen Mill, the clothing company that owns Peacocks, Country Casuals and other retailers.
