These Shropshire businesses have decided to call it a day - and the owners all said the same thing

It won't come as a surprise that the combined effects of the cost of living crisis following Brexit and Covid have been a factor in almost every one of the business closures we've reported on in the last year.

In 2023, at least 2,240 restaurants around the country shut their doors. In the first half of the year, pubs were closing at a rate of around 30 a week.

In May last year, Phil and Debra Wright decided to close The Baron of Beef - also known as the Baron at Bucknell - after 16 years of service.

The couple told planners at Shropshire Council that due to the combined effects of Brexit, Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis, the country inn and hotel in Chapel Lawn Road was no longer viable as a business.

"Hospitality has had a very challenging few years," the pair said. "Firstly, the effects of Brexit, making staff recruitment much more difficult, then Covid and three lockdowns and most recently the cost of living crisis. These have had a huge impact on the sector."

Two months later, Lisa Baker, owner of the Deli 45 café in Newport, told us that a "never-ending" list of obstacles, including high energy bills and the cost of ingredients, had forced her to close up too.

"It has been a hard decision but under the current cost of living crisis, I cannot carry on any longer," she said. "Everything is just so expensive – the energy you use, the ingredients you need.

"Gas and electric has been more than my rent every month and with VAT and other things, it's never-ending. It comes to a point where it's like robbing Peter to pay Paul.