Sadness as hardware store forced to close

One of town’s oldest High Street businesses to close its doors for good at the end of the month despite efforts to weather storm of economic difficulties

Perthshire is to lose another retail institution with one of Crieff’s oldest businesses set to close.

Established in 1902 and run by four generations of the same family, High Street hardware store Frank Thomson Ltd is to shut at the end of the month with the loss of two full-time and two part-time jobs.

The news has been met with sadness locally as the shop, owners and staff were known to all in the town.

The closure comes as Perth learned that it was losing the china shop Watsons of Perth, set up just two years before the Crieff business.

Concern has been expressed that the loss of independent stores diminishes the draw of a place as a shopping destination.

The much-loved hardware store had hoped to weather the storm of economic difficulties it faced when late last year Crieff Hydro lent its support.

Under a new arrangement, the Thomson family continued to own and manage the building with the Hydro throwing its weight behind the store.

Unfortunately the effort has failed with the two companies admitting defeat after a poor summer of sales and as winter approaches.

In a joint statement, Crieff Hydro CEO Stephen Leckie and the store’s owner Jamie Thomson said: “Whilst we’ve always loved the idea of keeping Frank Thomson as an independent shop on the High Street, it’s become increasingly clear to us over the past year that this is a really difficult retail market with falling footfall on the High Street and tough market conditions generally.

“We’ve got our heads together at the moment to plan the next steps for the shop, but no firm details we can share just yet.”

Mr Leckie said he had hoped that the revamped frontage and updated stock might have given it a new lease of life but they now accepted they were unable to keep the business going.

He described it as “the end of an era” but said the economic issues they faced were similar elsewhere.

“This isn’t just a Crieff issue – these are very difficult times for high street shops which are the heartbeat of the town centre,” he said.

Against the trend, Perth’s oldest jewellers T. Paterson, which was established in 1832, has just announced it is taking over the adjacent premises in the city’s High Street and expanding. rburdge@thecourier.co.uk

We’ve got our heads together at the moment to plan the next steps for the shop, but no firm details we can share just yet

Frank Thomson hardware store was established in Crieff in 1902 and will now close its doors for good at the end of the month.