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Greg Wickson's customers are so loyal, some drive all the way from Cooma to the Canberra Centre every few weeks to buy meat from him. Those that live nearby turn up at Select Meats like clockwork, and have done since Mr Wickson bought the butchery more than four years ago. "I have people here that buy the same thing every second day, and have done that every second day for four years straight," Mr Wickson said. "You do see the same people. There are hundreds of people every day who walk past my shop, and there wouldn't be one person that doesn't know me or doesn't say hello at any given time. "That says you're doing something right." But on Saturday, Select Meats will close down after Mr Wickson and centre management were unable to agree to terms on a long-term lease, with centre management telling him his butchery "didn't fit the program". "We couldn't come to an agreement, and that's life," Mr Wickson said. "I'm certainly not bitter, but it's sad to see a shop that's been part of the Canberra Centre since the late 1970s or early 1980s close." Mr Wickson said he had been on a casual lease since taking over the business, but had wanted to take up a five-year lease to provide security. While he did not want to discuss dollar figures, Mr Wickson said the centre was asking for two-and-a-half times the rent he was willing to pay on a long-term basis. "It was way past what we could afford, or what any butcher shop could afford in here," Mr Wickson said. "... No butcher shop would survive at the rents asked to move on to a five-year lease." Mr Wickson came up with an alternative plan to go on an 18-month lease and put in more money, but that, too, was "knocked on the head", and he decided to close the business he originally worked at as a teenage apprentice in the 1980s. "After all these years, the only place that these people will have to shop for fresh meat in the Canberra Centre is simply Coles," Mr Wickson said. "There'll be nothing else, and that to me, is a big disappointment as their local butcher. "[Select Meats] is a bit of an icon of the Canberra Centre if you ask me, so it's pretty sad to see that go." Mr Wickson said the store was run down when he bought it, and that he "didn't make a cent" in the first year as he revitalised the business and rebuilt its customer base. "After building it up to now to where we have done extremely well in the last couple of years, it's very disappointing to see all that gone." Mr Wickson said he planned to take a few months off before deciding on his next move, but said he had offers to consider in Canberra and Wagga Wagga. "I own the Select Meats name now, so if I do open up again, hopefully those loyal customers will find out and keep supporting us," he said. In a statement to The Canberra Times, Canberra Centre manager Amanda Paradiso said the centre worked closely with all its tenants, describing Select Meats as "an appreciated retailer". "As lease negotiations are confidential, out of respect to all our retailers we do not discuss the specific details of leasing arrangements," she said. "Canberra Centre continues to perform strongly with significant demand for retail space, and we are committed to ensuring our offer is strong and dynamic, keeping up with the evolving demands of our community." Ms Paradiso said it was too early to discuss details around what would fill the space vacated by Select Meats, but the new retailer is understood to be Specsavers.

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