Residents shocked by village store's sudden closure

Residents have expressed shock and disappointment at the sudden closure of a village shop in Derby.

The decision to shut Darley Abbey Store was announced in a note placed on the shop's door on 11 November.

Owner Graham Mulholland blamed the "rapidly changing economic environment" for the store's demise.

But it has left residents lamenting the loss of the only convenience store in Darley Abbey.

John Rhodes, 77, said the move means he now has to walk an extra mile to buy his newspaper in Chester Green.

"The closure was quite sudden, but there were rumours it might have closed," he said.

"If you are elderly and don’t have transport to another shop, the closure will hit you severely."

Dave Stone, 71, said: "I think it is desperately sad and a shame as community stores are vitally important.

"Small businesses have suffered at the hands of big supermarkets and online shopping."

Mr Mulholland, a former chief executive of Derby engineering firm EPM Technology, which went into administration in 2017, said he had seen profit margins shrink and wholesale costs rise since taking over the store in February 2023.

"We were left with a business that was only making £8 of profit an hour," he said.

"I have to look at my children and say you are not going to university as I have put all my money into this shop.

"Darley Abbey Store is a small business and it’s dreadful to get to where we have gotten to.

"Prices have changed with our suppliers and wholesalers since the Budget was announced, I think the Budget was too much too quickly."

In response, a Treasury spokesperson said the government "had to make difficult choices to fix the foundations of the country".

Mr Mulholland said he had received criticism on social media for announcing the store's closure with a piece of paper on the door, but he also felt the shop could have had more support.

"Customers have a choice - they can help me cover those costs instead of going to supermarkets," he said.

However this was challenged by another resident, Jo Slack, 41.

"My husband came in every day, but it wasn’t fully stocked", she said.

"People are going to supermarkets because stock was not there.

Fiona Flavin, who lives opposite the shop said: "I went in to get things I could always get for the past 23 years of living here, but that changed when the shop was taken over."

The shop is now being marketed by Ernest Wilson & Co Limited for £200,000.

The listing said the shop has been "owned by our client for nearly two years and in that time they have invested in improving the store with a smart revamp and improving operational efficiencies."

"They are only selling to concentrate on other business interests."

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