Latest news with #PaulGillam


Scottish Sun
18-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
My hardware shop survived two world wars, recessions & Covid – now Rachel Reeves has KO'd it after 160 years
Paul says he would have liked his daughter Sophie and grandson James to take over, but that won't happen now CLOSING TIME My hardware shop survived two world wars, recessions & Covid – now Rachel Reeves has KO'd it after 160 years Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FOR 160 years Mogford & Son has been a trusty hardware shop just like the one seen in the Two Ronnies' famous 'fork handles' sketch. But running a small independent shop has become no laughing matter for its current owner Paul Gillam. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 After 160 years, surviving two world wars and Covid, rising costs have sounded the death knell for Mogford & Son Credit: Jon Rowley 5 A snap of W.H Mogfrod & Son taken in 1920 Credit: Jon Rowley 5 Current owner Paul Gillam has blamed rising costs, including Rachel Reeves' National Insurance hike, for having to shutter the store for good Credit: AP Because of a tsunami of rising costs, including Rachel Reeves' employer National Insurance increase, Paul, 57, has been forced to call it a day. At the end of September Mogford — one of Britain's oldest shops — will close its doors for the final time. Queen Victoria was on the throne in the 1860s when businessman WH Mogford first opened his ironmongers store on the high street in Westbury-on-Trym, north Bristol. This Aladdin's cave has survived two world wars, the Great Depression, recessions and Covid but the current owner has had to make the heartbreaking decision to stop trading. Close to tears, Paul told The Sun: 'I'm working seven days a week but things have got more expensive. From staffing costs to National Insurance and bank charges. 'The car park up the road has started to charge £2, so people can no longer park for free, because the council is short of cash. My business rates keep going up. 'It's been a hard decision but I can't carry on.' Standing at the till, Paul is surrounded by thousands of objects for the home, from bamboo and compost to jubilee clips and, of course, candles. He has a wry smile as he poses with four candles, like shopkeeper Ronnie Corbett in the famous TV sketch, but he looks sad as he surveys his stock. There are house numbers, bolts, rabbit food and aquarium cleaners all stacked neatly on shelving that has carried everything the local community could want for the past century and a half. Popular bank with over 400 spots confirms it is shutting 18 branches in August – it follows 148 closures by rivals Paul's wife Babs, 55, who has been working in the shop since two staff retired recently, not to be replaced, says: 'The Government say they want to keep High Streets open but then all the banks close. "Then the car parks start charging, then the shops close. People end up going online or to one of the big retailers.' The car park up the road has started to charge £2, so people can no longer park for free, because the council is short of cash. My business rates keep going up. Paul To try to counter the online threat, Paul's shop has a Facebook page and offers a delivery service. He charges £1 for anything under £20 and free delivery on orders over 20 quid. Paul makes just £1.60 on a bag of compost and in 30 years of working at Mogford he has never increased all his prices at once to keep pace with inflation. He raises prices as little as possible and he reluctantly puts a £3 limit on the card machine because of the cost of using it. Paul would have liked his daughter Sophie and grandson James to take over but he decided they would be better off in jobs with a future. Paul remembers walking past Mogford's shop as a boy. He says: 'There was everything round here. 'Clothes shops, shoe shops, butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers. You could get every single thing you wanted.' He points across the road to the shops that have closed down — a newsagent's, a women's accessories shop and a shoe repair bar. He says: 'When Covid happened, we were considered an essential business. I will close the doors with a heavy heart Paul 'We extended our hours, opening at 6am and not closing until 9pm because our footfall went up so much with people working from home, and we wanted to help.' When The Sun visited, all morning there was a steady stream of customers coming in to buy goods from washers to dog bowls, super glue to carpet cleaner. Paul knows most of them by name and all seem upset that the shop will be gone in just ten weeks' time. They say it's the latest nail in the coffin for their High Street and they don't know what they'll do when Paul locks up for the final time. He says: 'I will close the doors with a heavy heart. 'It's not for lack of trying either but there's simply nothing I can do. I'm breaking even and have been for a while, so I've been left with no choice.' 5 Paul told The Sun: 'I'm working seven days a week but things have got more expensive. From staffing costs to National Insurance and bank charges' Credit: Jon Rowley


The Irish Sun
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
My hardware shop survived two world wars, recessions & Covid – now Rachel Reeves has KO'd it after 160 years
FOR 160 years Mogford & Son has been a trusty hardware shop just like the one seen in the Two Ronnies' famous 'fork handles' sketch. But running a small independent shop has become no laughing matter for its current owner Paul Gillam. 5 After 160 years, surviving two world wars and Covid, rising costs have sounded the death knell for Mogford & Son Credit: Jon Rowley 5 A snap of W.H Mogfrod & Son taken in 1920 Credit: Jon Rowley 5 Current owner Paul Gillam has blamed rising costs, including Rachel Reeves' National Insurance hike, for having to shutter the store for good Credit: AP Because of a tsunami of rising costs, including Rachel Reeves' employer National Insurance increase, Paul, 57, has been forced to call it a day. At the end of September Mogford — one of Britain's oldest shops — will close its doors for the final time. This Aladdin's cave has survived two world wars, READ MORE UK NEWS Close to tears, Paul told The Sun: 'I'm working seven days a week but things have got more expensive. From staffing costs to National Insurance and bank charges. 'The car park up the road has started to charge £2, so people can no longer park for free, because the council is short of cash. My business rates keep going up. 'It's been a hard decision but I can't carry on.' Standing at the till, Paul is surrounded by thousands of objects for the home, from bamboo and compost to jubilee clips and, of course, candles. Most read in The Sun He has a wry smile as he poses with four candles, like shopkeeper There are house numbers, bolts, rabbit food and aquarium cleaners all stacked neatly on shelving that has carried everything the local community could want for the past century and a half. Popular bank with over 400 spots confirms it is shutting 18 branches in August – it follows 148 closures by rivals Paul's wife Babs, 55, who has been working in the shop since two staff retired recently, not to be replaced, says: 'The Government say they want to keep High Streets open but then all the banks close. "Then the car parks start charging, then the shops close. People end up going online or to one of the big retailers.' The car park up the road has started to charge £2, so people can no longer park for free, because the council is short of cash. My business rates keep going up. Paul To try to counter the online threat, Paul's shop has a Facebook page and offers a delivery service. He charges £1 for anything under £20 and free delivery on orders over 20 quid. Paul makes just £1.60 on a bag of compost and in 30 years of working at Mogford he has never increased all his prices at once to keep pace with inflation. He raises prices as little as possible and he reluctantly puts a £3 limit on the card machine because of the cost of using it. Paul would have liked his daughter Sophie and grandson James to take over but he decided they would be better off in jobs with a future . Paul remembers walking past Mogford's shop as a boy. He says: 'There was everything round here. 'Clothes shops, shoe shops, butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers. You could get every single thing you wanted.' He points across the road to the shops that have closed down — a newsagent's, a women's accessories shop and a shoe repair bar. He says: 'When Covid happened, we were considered an essential business. I will close the doors with a heavy heart Paul 'We extended our hours, opening at 6am and not closing until 9pm because our footfall went up so much with people working from home, and we wanted to help.' When The Sun visited, all morning there was a steady stream of customers coming in to buy goods from washers to dog bowls , super glue to carpet cleaner. Paul knows most of them by name and all seem upset that the shop will be gone in just ten weeks' time. They say it's the latest nail in the coffin for their High Street and they don't know what they'll do when Paul locks up for the final time. He says: 'I will close the doors with a heavy heart. 'It's not for lack of trying either but there's simply nothing I can do. I'm breaking even and have been for a while, so I've been left with no choice.' 5 Paul told The Sun: 'I'm working seven days a week but things have got more expensive. From staffing costs to National Insurance and bank charges' Credit: Jon Rowley 5 Paul knows most of the customers by name, and all seem upset that the shop will be gone in just ten weeks' time Credit: Jon Rowley


The Sun
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
My hardware shop survived two world wars, recessions & Covid – now Rachel Reeves has KO'd it after 160 years
FOR 160 years Mogford & Son has been a trusty hardware shop just like the one seen in the Two Ronnies' famous 'fork handles' sketch. But running a small independent shop has become no laughing matter for its current owner Paul Gillam. 5 5 Because of a tsunami of rising costs, including Rachel Reeves' employer National Insurance increase, Paul, 57, has been forced to call it a day. At the end of September Mogford — one of Britain's oldest shops — will close its doors for the final time. Queen Victoria was on the throne in the 1860s when businessman WH Mogford first opened his ironmongers store on the high street in Westbury-on-Trym, north Bristol. This Aladdin's cave has survived two world wars, the Great Depression, recessions and Covid but the current owner has had to make the heartbreaking decision to stop trading. Close to tears, Paul told The Sun: 'I'm working seven days a week but things have got more expensive. From staffing costs to National Insurance and bank charges. 'The car park up the road has started to charge £2, so people can no longer park for free, because the council is short of cash. My business rates keep going up. 'It's been a hard decision but I can't carry on.' Standing at the till, Paul is surrounded by thousands of objects for the home, from bamboo and compost to jubilee clips and, of course, candles. He has a wry smile as he poses with four candles, like shopkeeper Ronnie Corbett in the famous TV sketch, but he looks sad as he surveys his stock. There are house numbers, bolts, rabbit food and aquarium cleaners all stacked neatly on shelving that has carried everything the local community could want for the past century and a half. Popular bank with over 400 spots confirms it is shutting 18 branches in August – it follows 148 closures by rivals Paul's wife Babs, 55, who has been working in the shop since two staff retired recently, not to be replaced, says: 'The Government say they want to keep High Streets open but then all the banks close. "Then the car parks start charging, then the shops close. People end up going online or to one of the big retailers.' The car park up the road has started to charge £2, so people can no longer park for free, because the council is short of cash. My business rates keep going up. Paul To try to counter the online threat, Paul's shop has a Facebook page and offers a delivery service. He charges £1 for anything under £20 and free delivery on orders over 20 quid. Paul makes just £1.60 on a bag of compost and in 30 years of working at Mogford he has never increased all his prices at once to keep pace with inflation. He raises prices as little as possible and he reluctantly puts a £3 limit on the card machine because of the cost of using it. Paul would have liked his daughter Sophie and grandson James to take over but he decided they would be better off in jobs with a future. Paul remembers walking past Mogford's shop as a boy. He says: 'There was everything round here. 'Clothes shops, shoe shops, butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers. You could get every single thing you wanted.' He points across the road to the shops that have closed down — a newsagent's, a women's accessories shop and a shoe repair bar. He says: 'When Covid happened, we were considered an essential business. 'We extended our hours, opening at 6am and not closing until 9pm because our footfall went up so much with people working from home, and we wanted to help.' When The Sun visited, all morning there was a steady stream of customers coming in to buy goods from washers to dog bowls, super glue to carpet cleaner. Paul knows most of them by name and all seem upset that the shop will be gone in just ten weeks' time. They say it's the latest nail in the coffin for their High Street and they don't know what they'll do when Paul locks up for the final time. He says: 'I will close the doors with a heavy heart. 'It's not for lack of trying either but there's simply nothing I can do. I'm breaking even and have been for a while, so I've been left with no choice.' 5 5


BBC News
18-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Bristol's oldest hardware shop to close after 160 years
A store owner says "160 years of history will be coming to an end" once he officially closes the doors on the city's oldest hardware shop. & Sons in Bristol is an old-fashioned hardware shop, which sells everything from nails and rabbit food to candles and slug repellent. Paul Gillam, who took it more than 20 years ago, made the reluctant decision to close following five years of dwindling footfall and unsustainable staffing shop will remain open until the end of August, though Mr Gillam is still yet to announce a precise closing-down date. Until the last 20 years, the shop on the High Street in Westbury-on-Trym had been run by the same family. Mr Gillam said giving up the reins was "a difficult decision, but it's the right one". "There's lots of different reasons - Covid-19, Amazon, less people on the high street, utility bills going up, lots of things have come together," he said. "It's really been with the closure of the banks in the last two years that sealed it. That was the final straw because the footfall just dropped off." Mr Gillam said when he first began working at the store 30 years ago there were five members of staff on shift every day. Now that figure has plummeted to two, and Mr Gilliam believes "going forward that's just not sustainable.""I know many many people will miss the shop, and a lot of the customers come in every week and they're like friends now. It's really sad." 'Absolutely gutting' Melvyn Griffiths is a long-standing customer of the shop, and described it as a "proper Mr. Arkwright's" tool emporium. "You can get everything you want here. It goes back years, and it's got everything you need in small quantities," she said."It'll be absolutely gutting for the community to lose it. I'm sure everyone locally will miss it like mad when it's gone." Colin Clarke said the closure means he will have to instead turn to corporate chains like B&Q for supplies. "I'm absolutely devastated. This shop has been here since Queen Victoria's time," he said."This is the centre of the community - it's going to be well missed."


The Sun
17-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
English city's oldest shop is forced to shut after 160 YEARS in business as Brits mourn ‘huge loss'
ONE of Britain's oldest shops has been forced to shut after 160 years due to soaring bills. WH Mogford & Son in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol has been serving customers in its 'Aladdin's Cave' hardware store since the 1860s. 5 5 Owner Paul Gillam, who has spent 30 years working at the shop, said it was time to close permanently due to rocketing bills. He told The Sun: 'It's a culmination of footfall dropping off, banks closing in the high street, people shopping online, and the cost of amenities, bills and staffing costs. 'It wasn't an easy decision. It's taken me a couple of years to come to the decision to close down. 'I'm disappointed for the regular customers but it's the right decision at this time.' Paul, 57, added: 'I will take a couple of weeks off then I need to find another job.' The shop, which serves a once bustling high street on the outskirts of Bristol, will pull down the shutters for the last time in September. One Bristol local, who grew up nearby, described the imminent store closure as 'terrible news'. Another replying to Paul's post on Facebook breaking the news, replied: 'Very sorry to hear this. 'I have known the shop my entire life. 'There will be many many saddened people when they hear this news. Popular bank with over 400 spots confirms it is shutting 18 branches in August – it follows 148 closures by rivals 'Mogfords has been a much loved and relied upon business in the village throughout generations.' Another said: 'You will be very much missed. My sons call your shop 'the shop that sells everything'." 'As a fellow business owner I am aware of the significant rise in operating costs over the last few years. I can't imagine how difficult this decision has been for you. 'On behalf of the local community a huge thank you and best wishes for your next 'chapter'.' 5 5 It comes as shops across the country struggle to survive in the changing consumer landscape. Both chain stores and independents have closed at an alarming rate, citing decreased footfall and rising prices as the reason behind the closures. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."