Spalding town centre suffered a blow this week when another high street store closed its doors for good.
Posters appeared in the window of Hughes electrical announcing that it was remaining open online, but the physical store in the town’s Sheep Market is now closed to customers.
South Holland District Council leader Nick Worth said the closure came ‘completely out of the blue.’
“I know some of the staff quite well. They were very well thought of in the town, but clearly not enough people used it.
“When you look at it in the cold light of day, it probably shouldn’t be a surprise as the reality is that a lot of people nowadays buy electrical goods online and this will undoubtedly be the reason for its demise,” he said.
A statement from the company said an ‘unprecedented increase’ in online ordering had seen it close the shop.
“Regrettably this has resulted in us having to make some difficult decisions; one is the closure of our store in Spalding,” said a spokesman.
“We are in consultation with four members of staff and hope to be able to offer some alternative positions within the company,” he added.
Customers who are renting equipment from the company via the Spalding branch can contact the rental team on 01480 418950.
“As a successful business we have to respond to the rapidly changing ways customers choose to do business with us,” added the spokesman.
There was no prior warning of the closure, with the posters first appearing on the shop door on Monday morning.
The closure is the latest in a long list of high street names moving out.
Two weeks ago, Barclays Bank announced it was closing the Spalding branch from May 10.
Marks and Spencer, Wilko, Dorothy Perkins, Beales, and Coneys are among stores which have closed for good in Spalding over the last couple of years.
