SEVERAL much-loved businesses shut their doors for good this year including pubs, restaurants, shops and breweries.
Here are 10 that closed in Winchester and surrounding areas:
Kings Worthy Post Office
Kings Worthy said goodbye to its post office, in London Road, at the beginning of the year, due to the retirement of its owners of 23 years.
Ahead of the closure, post office manager BK Kaur said: “We feel like we’ve put in our time. It’s mixed emotions, I feel sad to an extent but at the same time, I look forward to retiring. I haven’t been on holiday in forever and it will be nice to have no commitments, not be bound to anything and have time to myself without the worries of the Post Office.”
Red Cat Brewing
Red Cat Brewing, at the Sun Valley Retail Park in Winnall Close, was liquidated over the summer.
Andy Mansell, who set up the company with Iain McIntosh in 2013, posted on Facebook: “I would really like to thank everyone that has been with us along the way, customers, staff, friends, family and the awesome open day crew, you have all been amazing during the journey.
“However, like many others, unfortunately we didn't make it.
“I really hope that everyone out there remembers Red Cat fondly, and I hope we made at least one beer that you enjoyed.”
Superbook
Hundreds of customers were saddened by the announcement that Superbook would be closing after 14 years in The Hundred, Romsey.
Peter Bell, of Bell’s Bookshops Ltd, said it was down to the cost-of-living crisis and decline in high street footfall.
Since it closed in June, the shop has been taken over by Casbrook Home Care, which hopes to convert the space into a community hub.
READ MORE: Care company announces its taking over former bookshop to create community hub
Forme
One of Winchester’s longest-standing independent shops shut its doors in Parchment Street.
But Forme’s closure wasn’t due to the familiar trend of the cost-of-living but for happier reasons with the family wanting to return to its Italian roots.
The Italian gift and homeware store closed for the final time at the end of July after 25 years in the city centre.
Manager Andrew Butling said: “There are mixed emotions because we have a community of friends here and many of those began as customers. The shop has provided a social circle and extended family that anyone would be sad to leave behind.
“We have been very happy and fulfilled here so leaving under these circumstances is actually quite easy as we have no regrets.”
Paperchase
It wasn’t just independents that closed but popular chain stores too.
Winchester’s Paperchase branch in St George’s Street closed at the beginning of February after the stationery company went into administration.
But the unit wasn’t left empty for long with fellow stationery store Mooch moving in at the end of August.
READ MORE: New stationery shop 'Mooch' opens in former Winchester Paperchase shop
Prezzo
Italian restaurant chain Prezzo also battled doubling utility bills.
The Winchester restaurant, in Jewry Street, was one of 46 to close across the company.
Dean Challenger, chief executive of Prezzo, said: “The reality is that the cost-of-living crisis, the changing face of the high street and soaring inflation has made it impossible to keep all our restaurants operating profitably. That is why we have made the difficult decision to close 46 sites where the post-Covid recovery has proved harder than we had hoped.”
Sarah Barrett
Fellow Jewry Street business, Sarah Barrett, was forced to close due to no longer being “economically sustainable”.
The hairdressers suddenly shut in June, with owners Sarah Barrett and Jack Parnell breaking the news on their website.
The statement read: “We have spent months trying to keep the business afloat which has been in operation since 2009. Due to challenges associated to both the Covid-19 pandemic closures, and now the cost of living crisis, with high employee salaries and rising overheads, to support the service level and experience we provide is no longer aligned to the current economic environment and is therefore no longer economically sustainable.”
Autumn House
The closure of Autumn House, in The Square, came as a shock to customers and staff alike.
One employee, who asked to remain anonymous, believes she was owed around £2,000, with the entire staff missing at least a month’s wages.
The café closed with immediate effect in August before the furniture and equipment inside was sold off in a bankruptcy clearance.
Café Number 25, in Stockbridge Road, which is owned by the same business partners soon followed, closing in September.
READ MORE: Café Number 25 in Winchester closes its doors for good
Bona Fides
Fish and chip shop Bona Fides, in Andover Road, finished service just seven months after opening with owner Sayem Kabir saying demand was too low.
Mr Kabir said: “It was two causes really, one of them is the fact that I think the takeaway industry is going through a massive reshuffle. I mean fish and chips, how many people really want it?”
The Rising Sun
One of Winchester’s last independent pubs couldn’t escape the “economic bite”.
The Rising Sun, in Bridge Street, closed in September. Owner of eight years, Rob Plunton, posted on Facebook: “Unfortunately, the economic bite has finally got the better of us. With the inflated Gas and Electricity prices as well as constant price increases from suppliers (resulting in higher retail prices) and ultimately meaning reduced trade we simply can't afford to go on any longer.”
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