A family-owned petrol station is closing after nearly 40 years under the financial strain of the cost-of-living crisis.
Woodrow Garage, in Holt Road, Cawston, is permanently closing its forecourt on Thursday (November 16).
The garage opened in the 1980s but, despite turning over around £1.7 million a year, owner Paul Woodrow said the business was barely breaking even.
“I don’t want to close but I’ve got my hands tied,” he said.
“The forecourt is busy but we’re only earning £78 a day in profit. Even if we doubled our footfall it still wouldn’t be enough.
“We earn 4p a litre on fuel, but it’s costing us £250 a day for electricity. I need to sell 6,000 litres of fuel a day just to cover our electricity bill.
“It’s just no longer financially viable.”
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The Woodrow family has been in the motor trade since the 1960s.
The garage and forecourt were established by Paul’s father, Ralph, in 1985. Paul’s own son, Matthew, has now also come into the family business.
Both Paul and Matthew work in the garage, which will remain open.
“It will be sad to see it go and we’ll all miss it,” Matthew said.
“It’s been here for a long time, but financially we just can’t afford to keep it open.”
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Nikki Sealson, office manager at the garage, added: “It’s sad to be closing as it’s the end of an era.
“Paul kept it going for the community, but unfortunately it has got to the point where it’s no longer financially viable to keep it going.
“It’s been a family-run business for a long time, and it will still be a family-run garage just without the forecourt.”
The garage will continue to provide a range of services, such as MOTs, car services and diagnostics, vehicle repair and breakdown recovery.
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