Family-run fancy dress shop Magic Mirror will be closing up for the final time after 32 years in business, and is laying much of the blame firmly at Brexit’s door.
Magic Mirror, based in Nottingham, UK, will shut up shop for good once everything has been sold off, leaving the owners ‘devastated’.
The ‘heartbreaking decision’ was made the day after Halloween, when it became clear that disappointing sales for the key period would not be able to make up for what was a ‘terrible start to the year’.
General manager Dan Wrigley blames the closure on a combination of Brexit fallout, internet shopping and rising business rates, meaning the shop simply cannot afford to stay open.
“Online shopping is part of [the reason we are closing] but the main part is the Brexit vote,” he said. “It made the pound sink like a stone, which impacted us because we buy a lot of our costumes from China. It meant there was a rise in cost of up to 25 % which was coupled with a fall in consumer confidence.”
“There’s also been competition from chain stores,” Dan added. “People don’t seem to buy from independents anymore, which is a shame. We have loved being a part of so many people’s lives in Nottingham and to say we are devastated is a huge understatement.”
