Retailer to shut in town after 146 years of trade

Knees used to own a department store in the town centre

A store which has been operating in a town since 1879 has closed its doors for the final time.

Knees has been a fixture in Trowbridge inWiltshire for the last 146 years and provides home and electrical items from its site at the White Horse Business Park.

The company, which used to be based in the town centre, said it will shut its physical shop on 31 January for reasons including the rise of online shopping and larger "one stop" supermarkets.

General manager Ian Vidler said: "I know a lot of people around the area have fond memories of Knees - including myself - but we've been fighting the fight for the last few years and sadly it's got to that area where the figures win out."

Knees Trowbridge is currently located at the White Horse Businesses Park

Knees has been part of the town for many decades, as this newspaper article from the 1950s shows sale

Mr Vidler said rising business rates and a lack of support for independent retailers were among the factors which influenced the decision to close.

He added: "It has just got to a point where margins are so tight on products which we sell that we can't carry on.

"Retail over the last few years has changed dramatically. You've got the big retailers out there, selling what smaller shops did, and being that 'one-shop' destination.

"There's the transition to the Internet - people love to shop online while they're watching tv or watching the radio."

Mr Vidler, who has worked at Knees for 37 years, is one of 14 people who will lose jobs following the shop's closure.

One employee will move over to Knee's separate engineering business, which produces metal parts for a range of destinations, such as specialist sports cars, while seven others have found new roles, Mr Vidler said.

"At the moment everyone is in a relatively good mood as I think they're seeing it as a change," he added.

"We [Knees] have continually evolved."

Knees used to own a department store in the town centre of Trowbridge