SHUT DOWN
Much-loved music shop closes for good TODAY after 11 years as devastated shoppers cry ‘it will be missed’
The shop had a 25 per cent sale in the run up to its closure
A MUCH-LOVED music store has closed for good on Saturday after 11 years - devastating shoppers.
Opus 13, otherwise described as Bristol's notable music show, closed its doors in Clifton, Bristol, after providing music products for over a decade.
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A massive 25 per cent off sale was launched after the announcement of its closure was made a few weeks ago.
This included printed music and CDs.
The beloved store's owner Ruth shared a heartfelt message to the website and social media ahead of the closure.
She said: "After 11 years in business, I have decided that the time has come to close Opus 13.
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"It’s been a hard decision to make but unfortunately it no longer makes financial sense to continue, so it’s time to change tempo and march to the beat of a different drum.
"Opus 13 will remain trading until Saturday 26th October and will greatly appreciate your support until then.
"I would like to thank all our customers and suppliers who have been instrumental in the success of the business over the past 11 years. Ruth."
Fans of the shop expressed their devastation on social media.
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One user said: "Sorry to read this. Great customer service. Best wishes for the future."
Another commented: "We are sad to see this!"
Oasis vinyl
And: "Sad news Ruth."
It comes after an iconic high street retailer will start selling vinyl records again after thirty years off the shelves.
WHSmith said it will begin restocking the vintage disc in response to growing demand from shoppers.
As part of the roll-out, music buffs will be able to snap up records from new talent such as Taylor Swift alongside 80's icons like Queen.
Over 80 sites across Canterbury, Chester, Edinburgh Gyle and York will stock the records - you can see the full list below.
The newsagent, which has over 1,000 stores across the high street and travel locations, has not sold records at its sites in over three decades.
Collecting vinyl records has become trendy among music fans, as they seek tangible ways to connect with music amid a rise in streaming sites such as Spotify.
Records also come with larger packaging and can include freebies such as posters or clothing.
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Sales for the product grew for the 16th year in a row in 2023, with nearly six million units sold, according to data from the British Phonographic Industry.
Demand for records also helped turn around the fortune of struggling high street retailer HMV.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun's business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
Boss Stuart Machin recently said that when it relocated a tired store in Chesterfield to a new big store in a retail park half a mile away, its sales in the area rose by 103 per cent.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
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