Shoppers say goodbye to Clarks shoe shop

Shop owner, Julie Lambert, said it was "very sad" to see another shop go

A shop owner hopes new life could liven up their High Street after the closure of a Clarks shoe shop and upcoming closure of a Tesco Express.

Shoppers in March, Cambridgeshire, said they would have to go "further afield" for some of their shopping after the announcement that two shops would close.

Clarks is closing this Wednesday and Tesco Express is expected to close on Friday.

Greetings' card and gift shop owner, Julie Lambert, 59, said the High Street had been "starved of customers," but new stores could help bring more shoppers in.

Clarks confirmed its store in March will be closing on 4 September 2024

Mrs Lambert said it was "very sad" to see another town centre shop go and hoped something other than a hairdresser or vape shop could help fill vacant space.

"When you go into town for shopping it's nice to look around, but we have less and less now... you have to go further afield," she told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"I think [renovation work] has had an impact on the High Street. It has been starved of customers for nearly two years... people don't come in because of the traffic."

Clarks thanked its customers for their loyalty and said they would continue to serve them online or at its other stores in Peterborough and King's Lynn.

Julie Gargiulo said she would have to go to Peterborough to get her shoes after the Clarks closure in March

Julie Gargiulo, 71, who lives in March, said she would have to travel elsewhere for her shopping, but did not think closures were the result of town centre works.

"It doesn't matter where you go it's all the same; everything is closing down; we haven't really got clothes or shoes shops, just charity shops," she said.

"It is sad to see it [Clarks] go. I remember when I used to go to have my school shoes fitted, and my children, and grandchildren before first day at school.

"I've been in a few times and their shoes last forever; you pay more for the quality."

Tesco previously told the BBC: "We serve a fantastic community in March and will continue to do so through our nearby local stores and our dotcom service."