‘What a tragedy!’ sob customers of much-loved store closing after 33 years ‘with great sadness and a heavy heart’
DEVASTATED shoppers cried “what a tragedy” as a beloved shop of 33 years is set to pull down the shutters for good.
Czerwik Fine Wines & Cheeses, in the Brighouse town centre, West Yorkshire, has been a hailed part of the high street for decades.
Fans were saddened to learn the store would be waving goodbye forever on December 31.
It means loyal customers still have time to stock up on their famous hampers and gifts this Christmas.
Their impressive selection of wines and cheeses have drawn in shoppers for over 30 years and will be sorely missed going into the new year.
In a post on social media, Czerwik said: “After 33 years and much deliberation it is with great sadness and a heavy heart we have decided to close our doors.
“Obviously, this has been a very difficult decision to make and not taken lightly.
“We have enjoyed serving the people of Brighouse and would like to thank each and every one of our customers for their loyal support, fun, laughter and memories made over the last 33 years (especially in the cellar!).
“We will be closing our doors on the 31st December 2024.”
The post added: “This is not the end of our story new things are coming. John and the Czerwik Team.”
Fans were horrified by the impending closure, with one praising is as “by far the best shop in town”.
Another added: “An absolute icon in Brighouse town centre – will be missed incredibly.”
“So sad to hear. Such a wonderful deli, great food and wine, amazing cheeses, and great service. Thank you all so much. We’ll be making the most of pre-Christmas,” agreed a third.
Someone else said: “What a tragedy for Brighouse high street, the best shop on the road by a mile, we loved getting artisanal cheeses, trying new things, great wines, and served by a lovely team of staff…”
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year, and more are coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre’s director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is “less bad” than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
“The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend,” Prof Bamfield said.
“Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult.”
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023’s biggest failures included Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.
The announcement garnered nearly 300 comments on Facebook, and counting, of support for the shop as shoppers expressed their sadness and well wishes.
It comes as closures have rocked high streets across the UK in recent years.
Elsewhere, a much-loved tea room is being forced to close having been in business for 34 “happy and successful” years.
The family-run Two Hoots Tea Room is situated in one of Wales’ most-visited tourist spots and they say they are devastated after they were ordered to pull down the shutters for good.
Meanwhile, customers were left devastated after a family-run clothing shop was forced to close after 144 years.
Dancers is run by the fourth and fifth generation of the Dancer family, but the rise in online shopping meant they had to let it go.
And, closures are affecting various industries across different sectors as a historic city brewery, with a legacy spanning 150 years, is also set to close.
The Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) has confirmed plans to close Wolverhampton’s Banks’s Brewery.
Why the high street still rules!
Fabulous’ Fashion Director, Tracey Lea Sayer shares her thoughts.
I WAS 10 when I first discovered the utter joy of high street shopping for clothes with my mum and nan.
Going into town on Saturday became a family tradition – a girls’ day out we would look forward to all week.
My mum’s favourite shop was M&S, where she would gaze at jackets with big shoulder pads and floral sundresses, while my nan would make a beeline for John Lewis and their classic coats and elegant court shoes.
I was all over Tammy Girl – Etam’s little sister – and Chelsea Girl, which was later rebranded to high street fave River Island.
I would spend hours in the changing rooms, watched keenly by my two cheerleaders, who gave the thumbs up – or thumbs down – on what I was trying on.
Frilly Ra-Ra skirts, duster coats, polka dot leggings, puff balls, boob tubes… I tried them all, often making my nan howl with laughter.
Fashion wasn’t so fast back in the 1980s and every item was cherished and worn until it fell apart – literally – at the seams.
At 18, I went to art college and my tastes became more refined.
Extra cash from a part-time job in a bar meant I could move on to slightly more expensive stores, like Warehouse, Miss Selfridge and the mecca that was Topshop.
I knew at this point I wanted to work in fashion because the high street had totally seduced me.
One day, I wrote an article for a competition in a glossy mag about my love of retail therapy and my favourite LBD – and I won!
That led me to where I am today – Fashion Director of Fabulous.
It’s not just me that loves the high street – big-name designers are fans, too. When ‘Cool Britannia’ hit in the Nineties, they all turned up in one big store.
‘Designers at Debenhams’ was a stroke of genius by Debenhams CEO Belinda Earl, designer Ben de Lisi and fashion director Spencer Hawken, who introduced diffusion ranges from John Rocha, Matthew Williamson and Betty Jackson to name a few.
This meant we could all afford a bit of luxury and wear a well-known designer’s signature style.
Years later I hosted a night with Debenhams and Fabulous for 250 readers, who were in awe meeting all the designers. It was a real career highlight for me.
In 2004, H&M started rolling out their international designer collabs.
Karl Lagerfeld was first, followed by Roberto Cavalli, Marni, Stella McCartney, Maison Martin Margiela, Sonia Rykiel, Comme des Garçons, Balmain, Versace and many, many more. I could barely contain myself!
Then in 2007, Kate Moss launched her first collection with Topshop, with thousands queuing along London’s Oxford Street.
I remember sitting behind Ms Moss and Topshop boss Philip Green at a London Fashion Week Topshop Unique catwalk show.
I had my three-year-old daughter, Frankie, in tow and we both made the news the next day after we were papped behind Kate, my supermodel girl crush.
At the time, the high street was on fire. Who needed designer buys when Mango stocked tin foil trousers just like the designer Isabel Marant ones and you could buy a bit of Barbara Hulanicki’s legendary brand Biba from Topshop?
High street stores even started to storm London Fashion week.
Although Topshop Unique had shown collections since 2001, in 2013 River Island showed its first collection in collaboration with global superstar Rihanna, who was flown in by a friend of mine on a private jet. KER-CHING!
A whole new generation of high profile high street collabs followed.
Beyoncé created Ivy Park with Topshop’s Philip Green and I even flew to LA for Fabulous to shoot the Kardashian sisters in their bodycon “Kollection” for Dorothy Perkins.
I am pleased to say they were the absolute dream cover stars.
Fast forward to 2024 and while the high street doesn’t look exactly like it did pre-Covid, it has made a gallant comeback.
Stores like M&S, Reserved and Zara, and designer collabs like Victoria Beckham X Mango and Rochelle Humes for Next are giving me all the feels.
The supermarkets have really come into their own, too, smashing it with gorgeous collections that look expensive, but at prices that still allow us to afford the weekly shop.
The last 30 years of high street fashion have been one big adventure for me. Bring on the next 30!