01/02/2025
Friary Shoes has been fortunate to be part of Uttoxeter for almost 40 years. Over that time we have served many wonderful loyal customers, some who have been popping in to see us regularly over the years and become friends.
During our time in Uttoxeter we have faced many challenges,none more so than in the past 5 years since Covid. We had thought if we could survive that then we could survive anything!
However since then High Street shops have seen a decline, with the growth of online shopping and many much loved high street stores have disappeared. The cost of living crisis means that people are worried about food and heating and a pair of new shoes has become less of a necessity.
The cost of running a business has risen so much in the past two years alone it has become harder and harder to survive. The budget in October means yet another blow to small businesses , with the increases in the minimum wage, rise in employer national insurance contributions and the rise in business rates.
As a small family business we have tried our hardest to keep going .
Unfortunately with the current climate and downturn in footfall and the extra costs we face from 1st April we have had to seek external advice and make an extremely difficult decision to restructure our business.
Sadly this means that we have had to close the door on our Uttoxeter store on Thursday 30th January whilst completing a full stock audit on Friday 31st January.
We are absolutely devastated that we have had to do this, but we just cannot continue to lose money consistently month after month.
To each and every person who has shopped and supported us over the years we are immensely grateful without you we wouldn’t have survived as long as we have🙏 It really has been a honour to be part of Uttoxeter for all these years.
To all our incredible staff, you have all been absolutely amazing we are so grateful for all your hard work and support over the years. It has been a privilege to have you as part our Friary Shoes family and this is what makes this post so hard to write, because we are so sorry and distraught we couldn’t carry on for you! 🥲
You are all superstars ⭐️Thank you 💕
We are currently working with advisors to see if we can restructure the Lichfield Store which will be closed from Sunday 2nd February whilst we navigate our way through options.
Please bare with us🙏 We know that this is disappointing and we are so sorry that we have had to do this but we will keep you updated over the next few days.
For any enquiries we will try our best to get back to you as soon as possible please email
enquiries .co.uk
Thank you for your patience and understanding during the sad and difficult time.
