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A poem appeared in the window of Nason's in Canterbury claiming they had been "thrown under the bus" as the store shut to make way for development.

The farewell note has been displayed in the high street department store's window, handed out to customers and shared all over social media.

Kent Live understands it was written by a disgruntled member of staff.

It accuses one of the managing directors, Andrew Nason, of "throwing staff under the bus" for his own gain as the store's closure loomed.

The city centre business has been in Canterbury since 1929 but announced the difficult trading environment had forced it to shut shop.

The closure, which includes its furniture store in Wincheap, will result in the loss of 50 jobs.

And it seems staff are not happy.

'Collateral damage'

The poem, which appeared in the shop window days before the closure, reads: “Dumpers, trucks and bulldozers sit waiting so Andrew Nason can have more gold plating.

“Loyal staff thrown roughly under the bus collateral damage, he casually states don’t fuss.”

When Kent Live visited the store on its last day (September 8) the poem was attracting a lot of attention from customers.

There were dozens of people outside taking pictures and reading it.

Staff members we spoke to, who didn’t want to be named, were furious about the way Mr Nason had treated them.

The employees said they were sad about the closure and losing their jobs.

But they added they were also angry at how the closure had been handled by management – they all supported the poem.

Pictures from inside show a sad looking store with the majority of items already sold.

But there was still a steady flow of customers buying the last few things with up to 75 per cent off.

On the first floor not much filled the big space other than one desk still for sale with one or two customers wandering around the empty building.

The full poem written by Nason's staff Invincible We thank you, applaud you, our loyal friends For your love, and support that never ends So many years we have given our all But now we are forced to suffer and fall Our hearts ripped open, our blood runs red Development looms, change rears its head Dumpers, trucks and bulldozers sit waiting So Andrew Nason can have more gold plating Loyal staff thrown roughly under the bus Collateral damage, he casually states, don't fuss We are hurt, we are fallen, we are in great pain But with your love and kind wishes... we will rise again We, the staff, are invincible!

On the ground floor empty shelves and derelict counters were a sad reminder of the latest high street fatality.

Closing down signs in the windows were outshone by the farewell poem.

90 years of Nasons

Nasons has existed in Canterbury since 1929, starting out of the back of a barrow.

It moved to the high street in the early 60s and evolved to selling clothes, kitchenware, linen and toys.

The independent department store also housed two restauarants.

The store promised a "comfortable, family oriented atmosphere and an excellent range of merchandise all presented with a personal service from our helpful and friendly staff."

When we spoke to Mr Nason at his Wincheap store regarding the poem he declined to comment.

Do you know anything about the poem or who wrote it? Get in touch at james.hind@reachplc.com