'˜I feel sad. People aren't loyal to their local shop any more': Northampton shopkeeper to shut his business after 31 years

Raj Patel, who has run Parklands Newsagents in Oulton Rise since 1985 but has decided to shut on August 27 after a slowdown in trade at his shop.

The 65-year-old said he believed he had lost 90 per cent of his trade after a Co-op opened two doors down from his store.

Mr Patel said: “I feel very sad. I feel like I am letting down my customers, especially my delivery customers who are mainly the pensioners who can’t come out for their paper.

“I collect money for the delivery from them and I don’t know who else will be able to do that.”

Mr Patel, who is a former runner-up in the Pride of Northamptonshire awards, said he felt “ very lucky” to work in the Parklands area where he had experienced hardly any crime.

He said he had suffered only one serious incident when he was pushed over by a shoplifter and suffered a broken leg.

Mr Patel said: “I probably know 99 per cent of the people who come into the newsagents and they know me. I have served people’s children and grandchildren and they refer to Parklands Newsagents as ‘Raj’s shop’.”

On Facebook, Mr Patel also has his own tribute group called “Of course I have been in Raj’s shop”.

Northampton Borough Councillor Mike Hallam (Con, Parklands), a former paper boy at Parklands Newsagents, said: “Raj’s place in our local community will be sorely missed as he is far more than just a newsagent.

“Always a strong champion of the local community - he won’t thank me for saying it, but there’s many a time he has run elderly residents to the hospital, dropped in shopping or prescriptions.”