A SHOP which has served customers in Bracknell for more than a decade will shut its doors for the final time on Saturday. 

Ready2Print, based in High Street, say they feel 'forced' to shut up shop after seeing their profits halve because work to regenerate Bracknell has put people off shopping in the town centre.

They have supplied printers, ink and design services in the town centre for 11 and a half years but say the culmination of road closures, building work and the installation of a bus stop outside the shop have cut off and isolated the business.

Shop owner Andrea Nagalewska says they have felt the loss of free short-term parking bays which have been replaced with bus bays. 

She lived in Martins Heron for nearly 20 years and said: "Nobody told us anything about what was going on. We had a number of meetings about it but we just felt that no one actually listened to us or cared about our shop.

"Our turnover has halved over the past few years. It's shocking." 
With another store in Fleet, Hampshire, Andrea says they are leaving Bracknell and will move their entire operation there instead, saying they feel forced out of the town centre. 

"We feel we've been forced out because we're not a big national business and that's what the regeneration partnership are bothered about." she said: "I don't feel there's been any consultation process, they have made their minds up. 

"I'm actually very angry about it, we're so disappointed with the way we've been treated. Because we're not one of the partnership's tenants we are not part of the town, to me it's shocking."

However the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership, responsible for the new town centre and building works, have batted off claims shoppers have abandoned Bracknell. 

Simon Russian, development manager for Legal & General on behalf of the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership, said: "Footfall in the town centre has increased by an average of 4.5 per cent over the last six months in comparison to the same time last year.

"We have had a number of successful promotions and comprehensive event schedules in place over the summer to encourage further visitors to the town centre for the benefit of all its retailers."

Bracknell is currently undergoing a £240m regeneration which is expected to be complete by Spring 2017. 

 

*This article was edited on September 28