A beloved family-run store will shut its doors forever in another blow to the high street. Clothing shop Warwicks, based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, will close down after 157 years of trading on 28 June, despite being a profitable business.

With no one in the family to over the business, according to the BBC, the shop will shut forever with the retirement of its owner, Neil Warwick. He placed the shop on the market for more than a year to save its fate, but no buyer came forward. Despite looking forward to retirement, Warwick shared his disappointment with the Northamptonshire Telegraph: “I’ve given a lot of my life to the shop… Saturdays, wedding fairs on Sundays – and it is a bit surprising and very sad."

He added: "If we were going bust or had no trade, it would be understandable. Trade isn’t as good as it used to be because the high street has gone down a little, but we’re still profitable.”

The family-run business has kitted out people for formal events since 1868, offering suits, dresses and wedding wear, and it became a staple of the Wellingborough high street.

Neil explained: “Wellingborough is Warwicks, and Warwicks is Wellingborough.”

This news comes after national retailers announced widespread closures, including New Look, Morrisons and WHSmith.

While rental costs and business rates affect shops' bottom lines, shoppers' habits have also changed, including a move towards online shopping and spending impacted by the cost of living.

In addition, the British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer National Insurance Contributions will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.

In 2024, around 13,000 shops closed their doors, a 28 percent increase on the previous year.