Bury St Edmunds arts shop blames closure on theft and rising costs

The Denny Bros Supplies Ltd shop is closing after nearly 80 years

A much-loved arts and crafts shop has blamed its closure on shoplifters and spiralling costs.

Family-run Denny Bros Supplies Ltd has been in Bury St Edmunds town centre for nearly 80 years.

But in a statement on Facebook, the managers said the impact of theft, the energy crisis, Covid and Brexit had made it impossible to carry on.

"With all these things combined, we simply couldn't bounce back," it read.

Joy Denny called for a police crackdown on shoplifting after thousands of pounds worth of stock was stolen

Managers Maureen and Joy Denny posted: "We can no longer continue in the high street retail market as it is today.

"Unfortunately, the Covid lockdowns drained us of our capital and we have faced further factors, such as Brexit, an energy crisis and the recent cost of living crisis, which have all meant increasing costs that we could neither bear nor fully pass on."

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They said the shop had also been targeted by shoplifters "free of consequence or retribution".

A spokesperson for Suffolk Police said it had given shops in the area crime prevention advice, mounted high-visibility patrols, and encouraged victims of shoplifting to report it.

"We understand this behaviour is simply unacceptable as it ultimately can threaten the future of the business affected," the spokesperson said.

Scores of the shop's loyal customers expressed sadness.

Artist and musician Kate Jackson said: "It was the best art shop in East Anglia and had been there since my childhood."

"A real art shop that smelled of paint and made you experiment with different materials because you saw them all sitting there looking delicious on the shelves. It was more than just a shop. Bury won't be the same without it."

Maureen Denny's brother, Graham Denny, managing director of a separate printing business called Denny Bros Ltd, said online sellers were another challenge faced by the shop.

Mr Denny assured customers of Denny Bros Ltd, which is based at Moreton Hall in Bury St Edmunds, that it was unaffected by the shop's closure.