'All that'll be left is Costa, Tesco and charity shops': Lament of chocolate maker forced to close after rent, rates and VAT cut his profits to only £100 a week



Simon Dunn was forced to close his chocolate shop in Wilmslow, Cheshire

He said rising costs saw him left with only £100 profit 'on a good week'

Mr Dunn has appealed to the Chancellor, his MP, to help business owners

He said British high street will soon be: 'Tesco, Costa and charity shops'



A Chocalatier forced by soaring costs to shut his flagship shop has warned that the British high street is almost dead.

Simon Dunn, whose store was in Chancellor George Osborne’s constituency, says small businesses are being forced out as their profits are squeezed.

He was left with £100 for himself ‘in a good week’ after paying rent, business rates and wages, leading him to warn: ‘Before long all that will be left on the British high street is Tesco, Costa and charity shops – it’s just impossible for people like me to keep our heads above the water.’



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Simon Dunn, a chocolatier, has had to shut his shop in Wilmslow, Cheshire, because it became too expensive to run and ate up all of his takings

Mr Dunn taped a goodbye letter to the shop window in Wilmslow, Cheshire, to explain to customers how he had nothing left once he'd covered his business costs

‘I’m afraid independent traders on the high street just don’t have a chance these days in this tough current economic climate.

‘My shop was in George Osborne’s constituency [Tatton]. He ought to know the importance of independent businesses and try to do something to help us. It’s the rising cost of everything that is affecting business owners like me.

‘The sad part of it is that we’re not the only business that’s having to do this. It’s a national problem that is affecting every high street.

'On a good week we were left with £100 a week profit and it was just not worth it. There seems to be no incentive to operate as an independent on the high street these days.

‘I have to turn over a certain amount just to keep moving, but if I go over that amount suddenly I find myself in a position where I can be taxed more. It’s as though business owners are punished for being successful.’

The store, which opened in 2007, was one of seven run by Mr Dunn and his family in the North West, with a further franchise in Bridport, Dorset. His daughter, Camilla, 25, runs one branch and his brother Gary another, while his son Oliver, 28, organises chocolate parties in customers’ homes.

'The Wilmslow shop was the busiest and all of our customers were regulars,’ said Mr Dunn, who lives with his wife Anne, 52, in Disley, Cheshire. ‘We were always busy, and to the outsider looking in the business was doing great.

‘Sir Alex Ferguson and his wife were regular customers as were a lot of footballers and Coronation Street stars.

‘When the recession started taking hold we soon started to notice the difference. Chocolate prices have more than doubled since we opened the shop.

‘On top of that I had to pay £5.50 a day just to park the car. People were so shocked when they read the letter but people don’t realise how costly things can be.’

Mr Dunn wrote that the closure might have come as a shock because the shop was always busy

Mr Dunn, whose Wilmslow shop was inside George Osborne's constituency, said the Chancellor should do more to help independent retailers He will now concentrate on the business’s online operation. Simon Carr, vice chairman of Wilmslow Business Group, said: ‘It is a huge loss to see an independent retailer struggling in this way and that they have to make the decision to pull out of the town.’ A Treasury spokesman said: ‘Small businesses are the backbone of the British economy. ‘We know for many that times have been tough. The Government has focused what help we can give on small businesses.’

Mr Dunn said his customers were 'furious' and couldn't believe that the shop had to close

Now Mr Dunn is clearing out his Wilmslow shop, one of the seven in his franchise

Mr Dunn, seen removing his branding frmo the wall, said the price of chocolate has doubled since he opened his shop in 2007

Local area: Mr Dunn has warned that only charity shops will remain - such as the Red Cross store, left