A HEREFORD business has announced it will close its city centre shop after "exploding pavements" and footfall "fell off a cliff".

In an announcement on Thursday, The Children's Bookshelf in Hereford's Gomond Street said closing the shop is "really the last thing we want to do" and that they had tried "everything in their power" to stay where they are.

But while the shop will be closing, the business will not, with the team on the hunt for a new base.

"We really love being in town and being part of our community and we feel we have made a difference," a spokesperson said.

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"It’s been amazing having a base in the city centre and we have met some truly lovely people along the way.

"Unfortunately, we have had so many obstacles in our path, cost of living, the fuel crisis, Covid, rising bills, exploding pavements (it’s a long story) and so much more.

"This year our footfall seems to have mostly fallen off a cliff, with this Easter being the worst ever. We continually hear that so many of you don’t come into town anymore."

The spokesperson said that while the shop does have busy times, they are becoming fewer and that they can no longer afford the overheads involved with running the city centre shop. 

"We did write to the council, our landlords, to ask if they could give us some breathing space while we investigated turning all or part of the business into a not-for-profit or a CIC," the spokesperson said.

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"Unfortunately they were unable to help. We have asked for a few months for our notice period so we can find a new home, so if anyone has any ideas we are open to anything."

The spokesperson said the new shop would need parking, as schools visit the shop, and for them and their deliveries.

A closing-down sale will be starting from today (April 12), and Children's Bookshelf vouchers will still be accepted in the current shop and the new shop.

School pop-up and online pop-up book sales will carry on as normal and will not be affected by the shop closure, as will the new website, the book hunt initiative and the teddy bear collection for the Teddy Trust.