Norwich: Smokshop closes in Pottergate amid rising costs

Smokshop in Pottergate has closed to customers after being open for eight years.

Owner Alex Ewbank, who runs the company with his three brothers and father, has said the closure is a "sign of the times".

It becomes the second store in the area to cease trading in two days following the closure of Fine City Sounds yesterday. 

Josh Bishop, manager of the Smokshop store in the Norwich Lanes following the closure (Image: Owen Sennitt)

He said: "Times are hard. When we first opened we made great money but it has really dwindled in the past couple of years.

"At one point we had eight shops across Norfolk and Suffolk but now we are down to one.

"We had lots of customers that relied on us. I hate letting people down but with rent, wages and energy bills continuing to rise the company couldn't afford to keep going here."

Smkshop's Cromer store in High Street continues to be successful and its products can also be found online at smokshop.com. 

Business began to slow at its stores following the pandemic, which forced shoppers online during lockdown and many haven't returned, according to Mr Ewbank.

As well as losing customers to online retailers, the growth in the disposable vape market has also impacted trade.

Disposable vapes have become widely available at high street shops (Image: Norfolk County Council)

He added: "Every man and his dog is selling disposable vapes and you can find them in phone shops, newsagents and supermarkets, whereas before you had to go to a specific place.

"We are a family business, not a big corporation, so it was not an easy decision to shut."

Manager Josh Bishop, believed Smokshop was more than just a shop for people.

"It was a place people would come to stop by for a chat in the morning before carrying on with their day," he said.

"Lots of people have been sad to see it go."