Felixstowe Hughes store in Hamilton Road is closing down[/caption]
A BELOVED family-owned seaside store has shut its doors after 40 years of service – landing another blow to high street retail.
The TV rental and electrical retailer in Felixstowe, Suffolk, suddenly closed its doors without any warning to its community of loyal customers.
A beloved seaside appliances shop closed down without notifying its customers[/caption]
Hughes Electrical was a high street staple[/caption]
Hughes Electrical, on Hamilton Road, was established in Lowestoft in 1921 before it became a high street staple for generations of families who needed appliances such as washing machines, audio systems and vacuum cleaners.
An anonymous customer said: “Hughes are usually excellent at keeping customers informed but we didn’t receive a letter to say they were closing, which is very surprising and disappointing.”
They also added their frustration with the decline of high street shopping recently.
“It is the second shop closure in that part of Hamilton Road this month – it means more car journeys to Martlesham to buy goods.”
The well-loved shop has locations across England, including Norfolk and Essex.
In Suffolk, the chain owns stores in Ipswich, Martlesham, Beccles, Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft.
A spokesperson for Hughes Electrical said: “As a successful business we have to respond to the changing ways customers engage with us.
“More and more are choosing to do this online – resulting in us having to take difficult decisions. One is the closure of our store in Felixstowe.
They continued: “We are in consultation with the two members of staff and hope to be able to offer them alternative positions within the company.
“For customers who have equipment on rental from the Felixstowe store, nothing changes.”
The closure follows a string of high street shut downs in the last few months.
In February, electrical giant Curry’s shut its over 300 branches in Norwich’s city centre.
And in January, the popular electrical retailer Cameraworld, in Chelmsford, Essex, closed for good, leaving locals having to travel to London or Stevenage to access the nearest location.
