'Heart of the community' village store closure delayed for three months

It's been described as 'the heart of the community' but a village store in Hurst has announced it's closing its doors.

Hurst Village Stores has been trading for more than 100 years and was a lifeline for many during the pandemic.

But a drop in business has meant that it's being shut down and staff are losing their jobs there.

Local residents say it will be a big blow to the village.

• Villagers say they don't know what they will do without the shop

There's a Post Office attached to the shop which needs to give a years notice before closing. It may remain open for now but its future is uncertain.

The shop sells groceries, newspapers and is an off-licence.

It has a lot of loyal customers but staff told ITV News Meridian that footfall had dropped since covid and takings were down.

A spokesperson for Bestway Wholesale said:

“We are pleased to update that after further discussions, the store will remain open for another three months and not the originally agreed three weeks.

"We are working with the local community on improving the sales for the store and improving what the store offers for its customers. Our team has been informed of this plan and were pleased with the decision.

"Since this time, we have seen sales increase by as much as 55% and we have seen many new faces shopping in the store. We will continue to monitor the store carefully and review in three months’ time.”

It's not just the village store in Hurst that's struggling.

In nearby Wargrave, the A & I Store saw its last energy bill go up fourfold.

Local residents set up a crowdfunding page to help the owners stay afloat.

They are urging people to shop locally.

• Local resident Shelia Davies

Sheila Davies kicked off the community efforts to help the owners of A & I on Victoria Road.

The message she's hoping to get across is 'We must use it - or we'll lose it.'

But that may be too late for the shop in Hurst.

It's set to close on April 11th.