A TOWN centre bike shop has announced it is “closing its doors for the last time” on Saturday 10 February due to the pressures of internet shopping on retail.

Behind the Bikeshed, based on Marlborough Street, will be clearing its stock for the remainder of the week, however owner Bernard Baker told The Advertiser it is not a negative move and that no redundancies have been made.

Mr Baker ran the business as a second venture for eight years with family members who also have other jobs.

He said: “There just isn’t enough money in any retail at the moment because of the amount of internet shopping and the discount culture that it incorporates, which is particularly bad in our trade.

“We looked at the figures and how hard we worked and we are just not going to do it anymore. It is not a negative thing, it was our decision.

“It is a shame because we have worked really hard for eight or nine years now but we have got someone to take the lease on which was our biggest commitment.”

The bicycle shop was granted approval from Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) in November to change the use of the site from a sales and repairs shop to become a marketing consultancy, which will now take over the premises.

Mr Baker, who has been a quantity surveyor for over 30 years is now planning to spend the extra hours earning more money, or having some free time.

He added: “The joke of it is when we announced the closure on the Friday night it was the busiest Saturday we have ever had, the first time it has been like that in four to five years. We just can’t continue like that.

“Look at the rest of the high street no one is doing enough business.”