Disappointment for Sheffield customers as independent book shop announces closure

The Star revealed that Ecclesall Road's Books on the Park was facing closure in January; battling against high rent and the effect of Internet sales.

Owner David Granville told the Star that they were hoping to relocate to Kelham Island in a bid to find suitable and affordable new premises.

However, posting on Facebook, David confirmed that they had been unable to source this location and would be closing down next month.

He said: "Not the news that our customers, friends and supporters of independent second-hand bookshops will want to hear but, having failed to find suitable (size, location, cost) alternative premises Books on the Park will be closing down sometime between the end of April and the middle of May.

"I will continue to trade online for a while as my alter-ego Starryplough Books but they way things are going with the main online platform that we use (the behemoth that is Amazon) this might not be for much longer either.

"It appears that a series of changes made over the last 12 months seem designed to force smaller, independent sellers to seriously consider whether the hefty commission and frequently poor and biased seller support means that it’s no longer worth the candle.

"It’s certainly a conclusion that I’m rapidly heading towards.

"In the meantime, our end of lease sale continues and deepens in an attempt to thin out the stock, some of which we’ll be moving to storage just in case something crops up later in the year (if it doesn’t, this will have to be disposed of as well)."

The shop, which deals primarily in second-hand editions, has traded in various locations opposite Endcliffe Park over the past 15 years.

But owner David Granville said that, despite customers' loyalty, 'the figures no longer stack up in any meaningful way'.