End of an era for village butchers

Callum Brodie • Published 12 Jan 2009 09:45 0 Comments

A DATCHET butchers that had survived for the past 100 years has been forced to close down as the credit crunch continues to bite local businesses.

Customers at G Russell Butchers must now look elsewhere for their fresh home-grown produce after the High Street based shop shut it's doors for good on New Year's Eve.

Shop owner Graham Russell, 63, explained: "I've owned the place for the past 30 years and in that time I've managed to build up a group of loyal customers who have been with me since the start. Unfortunately it's a dying trade and with the rent being so high and what's gone on in the last year it's become impossible to keep going."

The closure of the village's butchers would appear to back-up fears surrounding the demise of local enterprises as Datchet loses one of it's longest running businesses.

While Mr Russell refuses to blame the impact of nearby supermarkets he believes that local landlords have a lot to answer for in the wake of rising rates.

He said: "I've been able to fight off Tescos and the like thanks to a loyal bunch of customers, it's the sky-high rent and the landlords who sit back collecting their money regardless that has caught up with the business in the end.

"I don't really know what I'll do now, I've been a butcher since I left school at 15 and I'm 63 now, in fact my first job was at the same building in Datchet all those years ago. The shop will certainly be missed in the village as there is no where else that sells fresh meat as well as fruit and veg."

Parish councillors have vowed to stand by local businesses in a bid to steady the amount of shop closures in the village.

Council clerk Graham Leaver, said: "There have been rumours in the village that the butchers could be closing and we are of course concerned about this sort of thing. We will seek to do all we can to preserve the existence of local retailers."

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This article appeared in Royal Borough Observer 12 Jan 09

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