THE owner of a popular newsagents has made the 'heart-breaking' decision to close his shop.

Alex Elson has run ELson News in Hartford for the past 12 years, but will officially cease trading on Saturday, July 15.

The 49-year-old cited cost-of-living pressures and a decline in people buying newspapers as some of the reasons behind his decision.

Currently retraining to become an electrician, Alex added he will miss all of the friends he has made during his time at the Chester Road shop.

He said: "Thank you for all the help and support you have given ELson News over the years. It has been much appreciated.

"I’ve made some lovely friends in that time, but I’ve also lost some lovely friends as well, especially through Covid. We lost some really good people.

"They were tough times. But a lot of our customers were grateful we were there for them during lockdown.

"The friendships I’ve made in my time here have been a real highlight. I’ve made a lot of good friends and there’s a lot I’ll be staying in contact with as I move on to my next journey.

"It is one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I will miss you and may I wish you the very best for the future. I will be sad to leave."

Alex will be opening the shop up on selected days next week to clear out any remaining stock and he reassured customers their paper deliveries would not be affected. 

He added: "I had lot of lonely customers, living on their own, who would come in for a chat.

"I didn’t know whether they’d spoken to anyone else – I might have been their first port call.

"I’m absolutely going to miss it a lot, it’s been a big part of my life for the last 12 years.

"It’s a big decision and it’s been heart-breaking, but sadly it’s come down to this and I can’t keep going."