An aquatics retailer has moved from the town centre to a new location, and says the decision has already paid dividends.
Family-run Maple Aquatics, based in Dereham, was for 15 years on the town’s Wellington Road, and was one of the few remaining specialist high street retailers in the area, reports the Dereham Times.
But after years situated a few yards from the centre of town, the decision was taken to seek pastures new in a different location.
Chris High, who runs the business with his wife, Becci, says the move to South Green in Toftwood has paid dividends.
‘MUCH BETTER LOCATION’
He said: “The old place was dull, it was dark – we just couldn’t work like that and it was time to move on. Of course it’s sad to leave because we started up with nothing there, but sometimes you just have to move with the times.”
Becci added: “Things are going well so far. This is a much better location than the old shop because we get a lot of passing trade here.
“We found that, where we were based in Dereham, there wasn’t a lot of footfall and not a lot to draw people down to that end of town.”
They are just the latest in a long line of departures from the town centre, said the paper.
“That end of town, in our eyes, is pretty much dead now,” said Chris.
“The internet’s great but we tend not to sell online because the products you can get here in the shop are niche. There’s no one else around here doing this sort of thing.”
