Perth city centre has been dealt a fresh blow as another independent retailer prepares to shut up shop.
The Peacock and the Tortoise has announced it will close its doors for the final time in two weeks after working at a loss since the start of the Covid pandemic.
The quilting shop, based on George Street, has become the latest city centre casualty, after numerous shops including Argos and Debenhams closed down.
And Covid restrictions since March last year have meant small businesses have struggled to make ends meet.
When will the store close?
The Peacock and the Tortoise will be closed as of November 27 after a decade of trading.
Owner Trudy Duffy-Wigman said: “Since the start of the pandemic we have been working with a loss and the turnover has not recovered, so we decided to call it a day.
“We have had a good 10 years, with many lovely and loyal customers but it is time to find other things to do.”
‘I will have no income’
In the lead up to Christmas last year, Trudy expressed concerns over the three-week level four lockdown measures that were to be enforced from one minute past midnight on Boxing Day.
The measures meant she would not have an income for several weeks.
Ahead of the restrictions, she said: “When I lock the door on Thursday Christmas Eve I don’t know when we will be able to welcome customers again.
“Normally we would open with a sale but we have already put that on hold.
“We have seen a sharp drop in custom this year.
“Many of our quilting community and customers are not coming out. We have had no classes, which also made a marked difference.
“As the owner and manager, I will have no income when the shop is closed.”
Covid closures
This is just the latest in a series of closures brought on by the pandemic.
- In June last year, retailer Phase Eight announced its Perth High Street closure.
- Two months later, also Argos pulled out of the city centre.
- And in October 2020, Dewberry Cafe and Wine Bar shut down less than a year after it opened.
- Later that month, Perth High Street suffered yet another blow when ‘institution’ uniform shop Stevensons Aitken and Niven moved to Scott Street.
- By December, staff at Perth’s Debenhams store were left facing an uncertain future after negotiations to rescue the chain collapsed.
- And H&M staff faced similar uncertainty in April this year when the chain began consultations on its closure. The Perth store shut soon after.