Beloved cookshop and cafe closes after more than 40 years as owner blames ‘unsustainable’ rising costs
A BELOVED cookshop and cafe has shut its doors after more than 40 years due to "unsustainable" rising costs.
Dinghams Cookshop in Salisbury, Wiltshire, has been at its current premises for the past 20 years and first began serving the city in 1982.
The renowned independent store made the announcement in a post on Facebook, highlighting impossible and "significant" challenges that the business faced.
Dinghams explained: "Rising costs, changes in consumer habits, and external economic pressures have made it increasingly difficult to maintain the level of service and quality you’ve come to expect from us."
The cookshop and cafe added: "Despite our best efforts to adapt and find solutions, the combination of these pressures has made it unsustainable for us to continue operating as an independent business."
Dinghams thanked customers for their continued support of the business and for the "loyalty, warmth, and friendships" it had made from its operations.
Read More on Shop Closures
The store shut its doors for the final time on February 28, following the "heartbreaking" decision to close forever.
Its statement on Facebook said: "It is with a heavy heart that we share some difficult news with all of you.
After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the heartbreaking decision to close Dinghams.
"This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly".
The firm blamed a lack of support following the Salisbury Poisonings in 2018, and the disastrous impact of the Covid pandemic, and its associated increase in online shopping, for its untimely demise.
Nicola Hardingham, who runs Dinghams told the BBC: "We tried to keep positive, expand the cafe, we tried new things, we were really fighting, but just nothing seemed to be enough.
"Then we got the cost of living crisis and the rise in all our costs, it's just a losing battle."
Shoppers have paid tribute to the store, including sending flowers and writing poems, cards and letters.
The independent store's statement on Facebook added: "While this is an incredibly sad moment for us, we want to express our deep gratitude to each and every one of you.
"It’s because of your support—whether through shopping with us, enjoying a meal in our café, or simply spreading the word about what we do—that we’ve been able to grow and thrive for as long as we have.
"It has been an unforgettable experience, and we will always be grateful for the support."
Fans of the store were quick to share their sadness at the closure, with many commenting underneath the announcement.
One said: "This is just dreadful, to lose a shop where we can get such a choice on every level."
Another added: "The saddest of news and a damning indictment of the increasingly suffocating environment in which vibrant, independent traders are attempting to survive."
A third said: "I’m absolutely gutted to hear this news.
"Having independent shops with lovely products at reasonable prices is key to a thriving and special city centre, especially one where so many tourists come to visit.
"What a shame."
DECLINE OF INDEPENDENT SHOPS
This comes as it was revealed the UK lost 37 shops every day last year, with 13,500 closing for good in 2024, according to the Centre for Retail Research.
An increase of 28 per cent on 2023, the pace is expected to stay the same for 2025, with an estimated 17,350 shop closures.
However, some 14,660, or 84 per cent, of these are predicted to be independent retailers.
There are many reasons as to why a shop might decide to shut - for example, the owner may simply retire or the lease for the plot might end.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
But one of the common themes among many independent retailers is that conditions on the high street are too tough to keep trading.
Since the pandemic, the number of people spending on the high street has declined, with more people switching to online shopping or cheaper brands.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025."
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
